Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee plans to let legislation to allow sports betting become law without his signature, putting a state that has largely shied from expanding gambling in position to become the first to offer an online-only sportsbook.
The bill is headed to the Republican governor after close votes in the GOP-supermajority Senate and House on Tuesday. And though Lee has been no fan of adding more gambling, he has hinted that his administration worked to tailor the bill to make it more acceptable to him.
The legislation has a July 1 effective date.
“The governor has said he does not believe that the expansion of gambling is best, but he recognizes that many in the legislature found this to be an issue they want to explore further,” Lee spokeswoman Laine Arnold said in a statement Tuesday. “He plans to let this become law without signature.”
Coffee County Republican Sen. Janice Bowling, who voted “no,” saying, “We just seem to be looking in a way that we’re going to try to create a gray market, and I think probably if we could get rid of the black market it would be better.”
The proposal is projected to bring in more than $50 million annually — $40.7 million for the lottery fund that goes toward education, including college scholarships; $7.6 million for local governments’ local infrastructure projects; and $2.5 million for mental health offerings, including addiction services, a fiscal note estimates.
Tennessee’s New Gambling Bill to become Law Without Gov. Lee’s Approval
