Senate committee questions whether sports-betting measure would cover mobile wagers; MDHS staff says portal can be built by year-end

A Senate committee spent its opening discussion on the scope and implementation timeline for a proposed sports-betting law, focusing on whether telephone or mobile wagering would fall under the bill.

An unidentified committee member asked whether the proposal would cover sports betting in slots and by telephone. Department of Human Services staff responded that “that would depend on whether that would be included within the definition of sports betting,” and noted, “It doesn't currently include mobile sports betting.”

Staff told the committee the statute as drafted last year gives the state until January 2026 to put policies and procedures in place. Committee members and staff also referenced a drafting change that included a later start date in one version of the bill; department staff said they had seen a draft with a 01/01/2027 implementation date.

On technical implementation, Department of Human Services staff said MDHS is planning to leverage existing casino systems rather than build a portal from scratch. The staff said MDHS IT believes it can create the portal “within the time through the end [of the year],” and that the department is discussing accessing casino-held systems via an API to enable a rapid exchange of information, though it would not be “instantaneous.”

The committee recorded a procedural motion on the bill. Senator Junger moved that the title be considered sufficient; members voted aye and the chair reported the bill out of committee for further consideration.

The discussion left open operational questions about the exact statutory definition of mobile sports betting and the pace at which real-time credential checks and money transfers can be carried out once the portal is built.