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Indiana State Rep. Alan Morrison has introduced two sports betting related bills in hopes of legalizing the activity in his home state.
House Bill 1073 would allow sports betting at the state's casinos, "racinos" and off-track betting locations while House Bill 1074 would permit the racinos — Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson and Indiana Grand Racing and Casino in Shelbyville — to offer fantasy sports games.
Morrison, who earned his master’s degree in sports management, does not want to sit back idly while the Daily Fantasy Sports craze moves into full gear. Sites like DraftKings.com and FanDuel.com have received massive cash infusions in recent months. DraftKings, in particular, advertises heavily during NFL and College Football games.
"Gaming is something that this state has become extremely reliant upon, that revenue," Morrison told the Indianapolis Star Friday. "As it's been trending down, it's incumbent upon us to figure out how to fix it or to improve on what we have.
"If it were to (become legal) in July, let's say, that would back us up another year before we could start the process," Morrison said. "So if we have it on the books, where it's up to our Gaming Commission, then we'd be ahead of the game on that."
Having sports books in Indiana, Morrison said, would make the state unique or "at least first to the table."
But Morrison is likely to face stiff opposition from the major sports leagues despite NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s recent assertion that sports betting should be legalized.
The leagues last year successfully sued the state of New Jersey to prevent it from offering legalized sports betting.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
