Governor Officially Approved the Bill to Legislate Mobile and Sports Betting in Montana

Governor Officially Approved the Bill to Legislate Mobile and Sports Betting in Montana

The State of Montana has officially opened its doors to sports wagering and mobile betting as well. Governor, Steve Bullock, put his signature on the Bill which aims to legalize…

… these two activities. This puts the “Big Sky Country” among many states who have recently approved these two kinds of entertainment as legal. For the time being, he accepted one Bill, but if there’s a demand for more in days to come, there’s enough room for revision.

The Journey to Acceptance

three of them:

  • SB330 – Montana Sports Betting Act – which aims to legalize land and web-based wagering (with a provision of players being ed in-person)
  • HB725 – Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2019 – which has the same purpose, with Montana Lottery being the only provider.
  • HB475 – pushes forward the idea of regulating pari-mutuel betting in the state

The finale saw SB330 and HB725 put before the Governor. HB475 was not satisfactory enough to become reality and therefore fell out of favor.

One Bill Okayed, One Vetoed

Lawmakers prepared two proposals, and the Bullock put his signature on one, at least for the time being. The one he approved gives the Montana Lottery full control over all wagering. The other had the aim to establish a system which would resemble…

… a free market where multiple sportsbook operators would have permission to distribute their services in the state. Though Bullock was initially willing to put both into law, with the idea to create more competition, eventually he decided to approve one. As he explained to the sportsbook ers:

“If in two years, the market can tolerate more entrants, then I fully expect the legislature will revisit whether a second model is prudent for our state.”

Multi-Year Agreement with Newgioco

There were some other signs which implied that the situation regarding regulation is heading in a positive direction. When Newgioco Group, supplier of betting and gambling tech solutions received the license to distribute the services in this state, it was more than clear that “The Treasure State” is on the brink of acceptance…

…of sports wagering. The successful deal was inked between company representatives and Northern Winz Casino’s operator, Chippewa Cree Tribe, regarding the delivery of ELYS sportsbook platform.

Source:

“Governor Signs the Bill to Legalise Sports Betting in Montana”, Narayan Niji, europeangaming.eu, May 7, 2019.

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