Sports betting bill introduced in Tennessee

Rick Staples, a legislator in Tennessee, has introduced the bill, numbered HB 0001, to legalise sports betting in the state ahead of the next 2019 session.

If approved, the bill would change the gambling landscape in the state, which has been historically opposed the gambling.

According to the proposals in the bill, there would be a 10 per cent tax on gaming revenue. The distribution of the collected tax would be as follows: 40 per cent of the tax would go to the general fund for general appropriations, 30 per cent to Tennessee colleges of applied technologies and community colleges for equipment and capital projects, and 30 per cent to local governments for education and infrastructure.

The bill also proposes to establish a Tennessee gaming commission to regulate sports betting. The commission, according to the bill, would collaborate with the Tennessee bureau of investigation for purposes of enforcement.