Supreme Court Sports Betting Ruling Won’t Affect Indiana

(NETWORK INDIANA)   Betting on the Colts or the Pacers will remain illegal in Indiana, even if the Supreme Court throws out a federal ban on sports betting.

A 1992 law limits sports betting to Nevada and a handful of other states which already allowed it at the time. The Supreme Court will rule before June on a New Jersey challenge to that law, and is widely expected to throw it out. But Indiana would have to pass its own law allowing it even if the justices approve, and bills to do that went unheard by last week’s deadline.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long says with this year’s short session, there’s a limited number of bills that can be heard. He says the bills were probably intended to put the issue on legislators’ radar for the future, and says they succeeded.

But while Indiana casinos say they want to offer sports books, Long says he’s willing to let other states take the lead on the issue, and evaluate what happens there before Indiana rushes in.