Sports betting is moving forward in Tennessee. The Shelby County commission recently unanimously voted to ask the state legislature to allow sports betting on historic Beale Street in Memphis. Just a few days earlier, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery issued an opinion that lawmakers may legalize sports betting through legislative action rather than a constitutional amendment. And state Rep. Rick Staples filed a bill that would allow counties and municipalities hold referendums on sports betting. “The biggest point to make is that this is up to the locals, give them the choice if they want it or not to take advantage of these dollars,” Staples said.
State Senator Raumesh Akbari filed similar a bill in the Senate.
Other lawmakers have expressed support of sports betting, including state Senator Brian Kelsey, who requested Slatery’s opinion after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting.
Staples’ bill would let counties and municipalities determine if sports betting should be limited to a specific area. It would allow sports betting in places that serve food and alcohol, but would require the sports book to be located “in an area separate and distinct from that part of the premises in which food and alcoholic beverages are sold.” In addition, the measure would allow remote kiosks where people can place bets; however, the licensee would be required to have a presence in the state. Also, Staples’ legislation would establish a commission to regulate sports betting.
Dustin Gouker, a writer for the sports betting news site Legal Sports Report, noted U.S. sports betting primarily is limited to racetracks, casinos and lottery retailers. “We don’t really have a model where we have it at bars on streets. It is fairly common in the U.K. to have betting shops all over the place,” he said. If Beale Street establishments wanted to offer sports betting, most likely they’d work with an outside party that would book the bets, Gouker explained.
Chad Millman, chief content officer for the sports media company Action Network, said sports betting on Beale Street could create more traffic for the businesses there but it shouldn’t be limited to that area. “I think what we’ve seen generally is that when legislators try to limit where this can be done, then it doesn’t really have the net impact that anyone is hoping it could. It’s a mobile business. If they’re trying to limit it to land-based operators on one particular block in a state, then it feels like an effort that will not reap the rewards they’re hoping it will,” he said.
Shelby County Commission Chairman Van Turner, who proposed the county’s resolution, said several legislators told him putting sports betting on the county’s legislative agenda might help build support for legalizing it statewide. He said he only asked for sports betting on Beale Street so it could be localized and controlled.
“I think that will be a start. If it works well it could perhaps be expanded,” Turner said.
