Gov. Mike DeWine said he will pay for the spending in his $69 billion dollar budget with economic growth – not new taxes or fees. He is not counting on a source of revenue several lawmakers have been hoping to secure since a big U.S. Supreme Court decision last year. That decision legalized sports gambling. DeWine said while it is not legal in Ohio, he said he expects things will be different soon.
“Certainly, it’s something the legislature’s going to look at. And I would anticipate, candidly, that certainly within the life of this budget that that will take place in the legislature and that there will be funds in regard to that,” DeWine said.
A pair of bills were introduced after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized sports gambling last May, but they went nowhere. Sports gambling is legal in ten states, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Bills have been introduced in 18 others, including Ohio, to allow sports betting through casinos or state lotteries.
