Any Chance that Sports Betting Laws May Be Made Legal in Indiana?

Three more US States are considering legalizing fantasy sports.

One more US state is considering implementing sports betting regulations. Indiana’s State Representative Alan Morrison has asked for the introduction of bills, covering certain forms of sports betting activities. One bill is asking for the legalization of sports betting. The other bill seeks to support measures that would regulate fantasy sports in Indiana.

If the House Bill 1073 is passed then sports betting would be offered in off-track betting rigs, racinos and casinos. The Indiana Gaming Commission under US gambling laws, the body responsible for determining sports betting, can be permitted under federal law.

If the House Bill 1074 is approved, racetrack casinos would offer Indiana players the possibility to indulge in fantasy sports games and daily fantasy sport contests. According to Morrison “Gaming is something that this state has become extremely reliant upon. As it’s been trending down, it’s incumbent upon us to figure out how to fix it or improve on what we have.”

Over in Montana, Forrest Mandeville, Montana State Representative, has also submitted a bill that would consider legalizing some forms of daily fantasy sports. The bill would make clear Montana’s gambling regulations so that players there would know exactly what would be legal.

The amount of chance in game is a determining factor

For example, fantasy sports games would be considered as games with total fees of under $100 and not as gambling. So players won’t be able indulge in high-stakes daily fantasy games. However they would be able to access prominent fantasy sports websites.

Montana is one of the rare states where fantasy sports activities is not allowed while other states are able to bet on sports in the US. This is because under Montana gambling laws, gambling is defined as ‘games with any element of chance’ which includes fantasy games, ‘even if luck does not play a major part‘.

In New Jersey, a similar battle is being fought. According to iGaming business, the varying proportion of luck that a sports betting game has, is up for debate. With any luck, Montana, Indiana and New Jersey will have their bills passed, to be able to have sports betting legalized in three more states.