An Ohio lawmaker Wednesday filed another bill that would levy a second state tax on sports betting operators.
Sen. Louis Blessing’s SB 199 would tax sports betting handle at 2% in addition to the current 20% tax on adjusted gaming revenue (AGR). If it passes, Ohio would be the only legal wagering state in the U.S. to tax both — and just the second to have a tax on handle at all.
The bill would allow for the 0.25% federal excise tax on handle to be written off.
According to the text of the bill, the new tax would be earmarked to fund renovations for publicly owned athletics facilities and to support interscholastic athletics and other extracurricular activities for public school students.
