Tennessee passes nation’s first sports betting handle tax, removes mandatory hold

Sunday, April 23, 2023 11:53 AM
Photo: By Gamecock Central ...864703630/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115238163
  • Bennett Conlin, Sports Handle

Changes are likely coming to Tennessee’s sports betting market.

State legislators…passed SB 475 on Friday. The bill changes the state’s mobile sports betting tax system from a 20% tax of adjusted gross revenue to a 1.85% tax on an operator’s handle.

The bill also removes the state’s controversial mandatory 10% hold rule, which sports betting operators were skirting by paying a minuscule fine when failing to meet the threshold. The bill “prohibits licensees from deducting payouts to bettors or promotional wagers or payouts from total gross wagers.”

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The handle tax will be the first of its kind nationally, assuming Gov. Bill Lee signs SB 475 into law.