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Up to 1,400 locations around the state could be eligible to offer sports wagering under a new rule proposed by the Montana Lottery. The Montana Legislature legalized gambling on sporting events earlier this year and hopes, if the rules process goes smoothly, to have the first bets placed before the end of the year.
The proposed rules were released at the end of September and a public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. at the
Montana Lottery headquarters, 2525 N. Montana Ave. The comment period for the rules ends Nov. 4.
“We anticipate being ready for an end-of-the-year launch, but the public comment piece is a very important piece of it and we will follow that,
” said Jennifer McKee, a spokesperson for the Lottery.
Under the proposed rules, bettors can place wagers on college and professional sporting events. The Lottery will offer a mobile phone app where people can look at lines and upcoming events to plan their bets, but wagers can only be made when a person is physically inside a licensed retail location. Beacons in sports gaming terminals will recognize when cellphones are in the location and then allow people to then make bets on their mobile device.
Bets can also be made at terminals for people who do not want to use the app.
Earlier this year, lawmakers amended the Sports Betting bill to restrict its availability to places with gambling.
The proposed rule put out by the Lottery clarifies that further, saying that Sports Betting locations must have appropriate alcoholic beverage licenses in addition to a gambling operator's license.
"The lottery has taken this approach because by limiting eligibility to locations that possess the appropriate alcoholic beverage license for certain gambling activities, the lottery will ensure a sufficient number of locations to offer sports wagering and help limit any adverse impacts of an overabundance of population," the proposed rule explains.
Up to 1,400 locations around the state could be eligible to offer sports wagering under a new rule proposed by the Montana Lottery. The Montana Legislature legalized gambling on sporting events earlier this year and hopes, if the rules process goes smoothly, to have the first bets placed before the end of the year.
The proposed rules were released at the end of September and a public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. at the
Montana Lottery headquarters, 2525 N. Montana Ave. The comment period for the rules ends Nov. 4.
“We anticipate being ready for an end-of-the-year launch, but the public comment piece is a very important piece of it and we will follow that,
” said Jennifer McKee, a spokesperson for the Lottery.
Under the proposed rules, bettors can place wagers on college and professional sporting events. The Lottery will offer a mobile phone app where people can look at lines and upcoming events to plan their bets, but wagers can only be made when a person is physically inside a licensed retail location. Beacons in sports gaming terminals will recognize when cellphones are in the location and then allow people to then make bets on their mobile device.
Bets can also be made at terminals for people who do not want to use the app.
Earlier this year, lawmakers amended the Sports Betting bill to restrict its availability to places with gambling.
The proposed rule put out by the Lottery clarifies that further, saying that Sports Betting locations must have appropriate alcoholic beverage licenses in addition to a gambling operator's license.
"The lottery has taken this approach because by limiting eligibility to locations that possess the appropriate alcoholic beverage license for certain gambling activities, the lottery will ensure a sufficient number of locations to offer sports wagering and help limit any adverse impacts of an overabundance of population," the proposed rule explains.
