Officials Begin To Iron Out TN Sports Betting Rules & Regulations

• Rules and regulations for Tennessee mobile sports betting are a hot topic of discussion as they would like to launch their applications by the start of the 2020 NFL season.
• Proposed payout caps are set at 85% but a raise to 95% was mentioned in the latest meeting.
• If they want to launch by September, they need to get a final draft that the Lottery Board will approve of first.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State officials are beginning to finalize rules and regulations regarding mobile sports betting in Tennessee. The Volunteer State made gambling on sporting events legal through mobile and internet platforms in May 2019.

Almost a year later and no launch date for when the public can begin betting on sports matchups has been announced.

Mobile Sports Betting In Tennessee

The topic of rules for sports betting in Tennessee has been a difficult one to say the least. They have gone back and forth on certain areas, almost starting from scratch each time.

But this time seems to be different. Representatives from the Tennessee Lottery and the advisory council for sports betting met Tuesday to discuss details for future rules on the gambling of sports matchups.

Applications from potential sportsbook operators have not yet been received as rules and regulations need to be approved by the Lottery Board. During the meeting, it was decided that an optimal time for a rollout of their mobile sports betting applications would be of the 2020 NFL season which begins on September 10.

This is why things are a bit more focused when it comes to ironing out the details.

“If we really want to be up and running and have people able to bet for the football season we have coming, it’s already pushing it,” said Susan Lanigan, board chairwoman for the Tennessee Lottery, regulating sports betting in the state.

Tennessee held a public comment period from November 2019 – January 2020 where they had numerous suggestions sent in on what should be included in the rules for gambling on sporting events. Based on these suggestions, a list of rules was drawn up but later led to further delays due to lawmakers’ concerns over the draft.

Points that were spoken about during the meeting were things like restrictions on certain bets, the overseeing of all advertising pertaining to sports betting, and cap payouts. Cap payouts were initially set for 85% yearly. The newly appointed sports betting program director for the lottery, Jennifer Roberts, believes this proposed cap should be on the lower end.

She said that if the sports betting market in Tennessee wanted to run a competitive business against the illegal black market that there should be no cap but if there had to be one, it should be set at 95% to remain competitive.

“They’re always going to exist,” said Roberts regarding the black market. “But we can at least try to get some to transition over to the legal, regulated market.”

The new rules that were suggested were to have set guidelines in place for marketing rather than have the lottery give approval to each and every advertisement that would be going out for sports betting, reduced fees on licenses, and having parlay ties not automatically be deemed a loss for sports bettors.

If these new rules and regulations stick, Tennessee could see the launch of their mobile sports betting platforms by the start of football season.

News tags: Jennifer Roberts | Lottery Board | NFL | Susan Lanigan | Tennessee | Tennessee Lottery