“It will allow them to grow their business and continue.”
“For the illegal sports wagering market, that amendment (removal) is a huge boom for them,” Ford said. With the removal of the online provision, Ford says the illegal bookmakers will continue to prosper.
Ford at the hearing put total illegal sports betting in Indiana around $300 million per year. Ford believes that the state has a responsibility to regulate and tax the revenue that is currently going to illegal bookmakers.Įstimates given by Sen. “There are right now in Indiana a little over 100 illegal apps that people can use to bet on sports,” Sen. ”Much of (sports betting is done) on cellphones, using illegal apps,” Jon Ford, Republican State Senator said during the committee’s hearing.
Some state senators were furious at the move, calling the removal shortsighted and not understanding of the illegal wagering already done via smartphones. The failure to adopt online gambling in Indiana comes at a time when many states are having the same dilemma whether to regulate sports betting through an easy-to-obtain app. While in committee, Indiana lawmakers passed an amendment to remove the mobile-betting section of the state’s sports gambling bill that is currently being debated.
