Tennessee to consider sports betting with proposed bill

When the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the federal betting sports ban last year, all experts expected a torrent of state legislation to follow. Tennessee is proving them right, with a new proposed bill in the works.

LocalMemphis.com reports the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act will give local governments the right to decide if they want sports betting locations in their area. If approved, local communities could “then petition their local government with at least 10% of voters calling for a vote on legalizing betting in their area.”

The bill was put forward by State Representative Rick Staples, a Democrat. Unlike with recently proposed Texas casino bill, this one might actually achieve its goal, as Republican State Senator Brian Kelsey is working on his own version of the bill for the upper house.

In a statement to LocalMemphis, Kelsey said: