The Vermont Senate on Friday gave unanimous support to State Bill 59 during a virtual session. The bill will now undergo its third and final reading during the next meeting of the Senate on Tuesday.

What does the bill achieve?

If the bill is passed, it will create a new committee to examine how the state could legalize sports betting. The bill’s primary sponsor State Sen. Michael Sirotkin said that the people are either using illegal or offshore areas to bet. They are also crossing the state lines to bet on their favorite sports.

He added,

“If we want to move sports betting to a legalized, regulated, and taxed approach, we need more information about the real-world track record of this activity and our own analysis of different ways to structure a taxed and regulated system.”

The panel will also consist of the Attorney General of the state, the Commissioner of Taxes, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development, the Commissioner of Liquor and Lottery alongside two house members and two senators. They will review the laws passed as well as the models enacted in their states. The state officials can also designate a staffer who can serve in their place. The job of the group would be to review tax structure and add possible limitations on the type of sporting events that bettors could use.

What do the lawmakers expect?

The report will be delivered to the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs as well as the House Committee on General, Housing, and Military Affairs by December 15. Sen. Ruth Hardy also asked on Friday if an addiction expert could be added to the panel alongside someone who represents colleges in the state. Both Sirotkin and Hardy discussed if the panel will consider problem gambling issues before the bill’s third reading.

Sen. Dick Sears Jr. said that banning all college sports would mean that people continue going to other states or illegal markets to bet. However, it is possible that Vermont bans colleges and junior-level events altogether in the bill.