Ohio Daily Fantasy Sports Bill on its Way to Become a Law?

After the Senate passed the Ohio Daily Fantasy Sports Bill on November 29, it’s the president’s turn to act. If he gives his signature, it will become a law. It’s simple as that. But first, let’s see what this bill is all about.

The Ohio Daily Fantasy Sports Bill or House Bill 132 was first introduced in March by Jonathan Dever and Rob McColley, who are Ohio House representatives. Two months later, the House passed this bill with positive votes of 82 to 15.

The second round of voting also went smoothly on the Senate level. The majority, 25 to 4 to be exact, wants the bill to be passed on to President Donald Trump.

What the Bill Entails…

The Ohio Daily Fantasy Sports bill is about the regulation of Daily Fantasy Sports or DFS. It means all DFS games would be legal. Exceptions are the protection of youth under 18, who are not allowed access. This means all players need to verify their age. Sounds fair enough.

On the other hand, DFS operators have to pay 10,000 USD licensing fees per year and no operating tax according to this bill.

Ohio State Senator Bill Coley thinks otherwise. Instead, he is advocating for 6% tax to deal with social problems which may arise. According to US gambling news, Senator Bill Coley thought DFS is a scheme of chance that encourages gambling behavior.

Is DFS Gambling?

Joining DFS contests involve winning and possibly losing real money. However, DFS players need relative knowledge and skills in order to win the game, not just chance.

So the Ohio Daily Fantasy Sports Bill would not categorize DFS contests as gambling, which shows that it doesn’t belong in US gambling laws anymore.

Will Ohio Daily Fantasy Sports Bill Really Become a Law?

All we need now is President Trump’s signature for the Ohio Daily Fantasy Sports bill become a law. Yes, that’s right. We are in the final stage.

If it really became true, this phenomenon would inspire many new online daily fantasy sports in US to emerge. With all these potential new businesses, it would help boost the US economy as well.