COLUMBUS - Ohio already lost the race to legalize sports betting before neighbors Pennsylvania and West Virginia, but the state might soon be passed by Indiana and Kentucky, too.

A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision gave states the option to legalize sports betting. Several jumped at the opportunity immediately, but Ohio wasn't one of them.

Top Senate Democrat Kenny Yuko says sports betting in Ohio is "inevitable." But state legislators are more focused on Gov. Mike DeWine's proposed gas tax hike, an inadvertent gun ban and abortion restrictions at the moment.

Last year, Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, and Sen. Sean O'Brien, D-Bazetta, introduced a bill to legalize sports betting in Ohio. But it was simply a placeholder without specific policies and received no hearings. They are working on a new version now.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Senate passed a bill Tuesday to legalize sports betting in the state. The proposal still needs approval from the House and Gov. Eric Holcomb, but Holcomb is much more open to the idea than his predecessor: Vice President Mike Pence.

And Kentucky lawmakers recently advanced a bill to legalize sports betting there.

Seven states, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia, allow sports betting already. New Mexico allows sports wagering at one casino run by a Native American tribe, and Arkansas voters recently approved sports betting, but it won't launch until later this year.

Is Ohio in a rush to catch up? Sen. Bill Coley, R-Liberty Township, says no.

"The important thing is to get it right," said Coley, who is president of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States. "Ohio is a large market with almost 12 million citizens. We have to make sure we fashion a law that works for everybody."

One factor to consider: a new U.S. Department of Justice opinion on the Wire Act that could bar online gambling and as a result, some sports betting. Changes won't take effect until April 15, leaving the gaming industry in limbo for now.

Gov. Mike DeWine has said that sports betting is coming to Ohio whether anyone likes it or not. He wants to work with lawmakers to craft solid regulations rather than wait for a ballot initiative.

"I'm not a big fan of betting, but it is a reality," DeWine told News 5 Cleveland. "I think it's important for Ohio to do it right."

A tax boon or bust?

Top Ohio lawmakers were quick to say sports betting wouldn't be an economic boon for the state.

Nevada has allowed sports betting since 1949, but tax revenue from it accounts for roughly one half of 1 percent of the entire state budget, the Associated Press reported.

"There’s a lot of people who think it’s going to be a cash cow. It’s not," Yuko told Ohio reporters at an Associated Press forum last week. "It’s just another form of betting that is going to be made available.”

Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, agreed, saying Ohioans would simply swap one activity – going to a movie or a bar – for another: sports betting. And he's not sold on the value of adding more gambling in Ohio.

“As far as whether it’s a desirable policy or not, I think everybody in this room knows that I’m pretty skeptical of that," Obhof said.

A casino consensus

If Ohio legalizes gambling, it should stay in the casinos and racinos, Ohio's top lawmakers agreed.

Obhof said he doesn't want sports betting in every bar and on every street corner in the state.

“We’ve probably got sports betting going on at every bar on every corner of Ohio anyway," Speaker Larry Householder countered.

Householder, R-Perry County, predicted that Ohio would soon legalize sports betting, but lawmakers need to nail down the details.

"We’re going to have sports wagering in Ohio, and I don’t know what it’s going to look like yet,” he said.

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