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Northeast Ohio Legislator Proposes Sports Betting Plan

photo of Ohio State University Coach Urban Meyer at a 2012 game.
SAM HOWZIT
/
FLICKR/CREATIVE COMMONS
Betting on college and professional sports would be legalized and run by the Ohio Lottery Commission under Greenspan's proposal.

A Northeast Ohio state legislator is proposing his own bill to make sports betting legal in the state. The proposal from Representative Dave Greenspan (R-Westlake) puts the Ohio Lottery Commission in charge of overseeing college and professional sports betting.

Greenspan said the commission’s involvement would make sports gaming a constitutional lottery game, and even give back to those who need it.

“I think we can all acknowledge that sports betting is happening illegally in Ohio. We now have the ability to make it legal, and in so doing we’ll provide consumer protection, we’ll provide funding for addiction and sports gaming treatment and services and we’ll provide additional funding for education in Ohio.”

A proposal introduced in the Ohio Senate would put the state’s Casino Control Commission in charge of regulating sports betting. That proposal has not received a hearing yet. Greenspan says hearings for his bill will be underway in the next few weeks.