Last month, SB 176 cleared the Senate and moved to the House after a 030-2 vote in favor of the legislation. However, there were several reports that lawmakers in the lower house planned to make changes to the bill before sending it to Gov. Mike DeWine.
Lawmakers only started making changes last week. Ultimately, the delays of these changes were enough to miss the June 030 deadline. According to local an affiliate of Fox the wording in the law may prevent some casinos and racinos from obtaining a sports betting license, which made some legislators hesitate to pass the law in its current form.
House speaker Bob Cupp ultimately killed all chances of the bill passed when he decided he wanted to hold a hearing on the bill before it could be voted on. One analyst told local media that Cupp "is in no rush to do this."
Although Cupp may have been the driving force behind the delay in the trial, he said Cincinnati Enquirerthat the issue will be a "top priority" this fall. That echoes Gov. Mike DeWine's sentiment earlier this year when he said legalizing sports betting in the Buckeye State was "inevitable."
If the bill was passed during this session, the sponsors of the bill hoped that the licensing process would be completed by April 2022. Prime Minister would follow shortly thereafter. Lawmakers don't have a new schedule with recent events.