The House and Senate each scrutinized the measure in recent weeks before passing it with relative ease.
Justice did not veto the bill despite a public call to do so from the commissioner of Major League Baseball. He may, however, call a special session to revisit the legislation once the US Supreme Court makes its move.
In passing a sports betting law, West Virginia becomes the sixth state to do so in recent years and the first in 2018.
“After the U.S. Supreme Court issues its decision on sports wagering, to address any provisions of the legislation that might be in conflict, I will ask the Legislature to look at the advantages of partnering with the major sports leagues,” Governor Justice said.
“I believe there could be real value to this partnership. I expect the Supreme Court to rule on this issue in the next few months. This approach will allow us to develop a relationship with all the major sports leagues so that it is beneficial to everyone,” he added.
Gov. Justice went on to say that “if there are issues that we can address” to make this “model legislation that the entire country can use and duplicate, we should do so. Again, nothing can happen until the Supreme Court issues their decision, but we want to be ready when they do.”
The law permits the state’s five gaming facilities to offer sports betting under the lottery’s oversight. They’ll each pay US$100,000 for the right to do so, and they’re expected to generate at least US$5 million in total first-year tax revenue.
Source: GMB / Legal Sports Report
