(NETWORK INDIANA) The bill to legalize sports betting in Indiana will also lay down markers on what’s legal to bet on:
Majority Leader Mark Messmer (R-Jasper) says he’ll ask a Senate committee to allow gambling on any pro or college sport, as long as the Indiana Gaming Commission approves in advance. The only thing the bill authored by Messmer and Terre Haute Senator Jon Ford (R) rules out completely is betting on high school sports.
The bill also puts the commission in charge of setting rules on how casinos determine the point spreads. Messmer says the commission could also set limits on “prop bets” like who wins the coin flip or whether the game will feature a safety. Messmer says some bets, like whether a player will miss a free throw, create thje risk a single player could swing the result.
The Public Policy Committee plans a Wednesday hearing on a bill which couples sports betting with a proposal to move Gary’s two lakefront casinos — shifting one to downtown Gary and the other to Terre Haute.
