Sports betting alive again on last second effort

Sports betting legalization is alive again after it was amended onto a bill that would regulate fantasy sports.

Metairie Senator Danny Martiny says he didn’t want to combine the two issues initially, but one of his colleagues who opposes sports betting is abusing House rules to keep the legislation from getting a fair vote.

Last week House Appropriations killed sports betting, but Metairie Senator Danny Martiny says a few days later he had to votes to pull the legislation out of that committee, and onto the House floor. For that to happen though, the Appropriations Chairman must be present, and…

“For the last five days, since we got the votes, the Chairman of the committee refuses to go into the room (House floor). That’s not the way to legislate, that’s not fair, that’s not what the process is about.”

Sports betting seemed dead after it died in a House committee after being loaded up with controversial amendments from special interests. Martiny says those were bad faith efforts to kill sports betting.

Martiny slammed House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry for allegedly “hiding out”, which is preventing the vote on sports betting from taking place. Martiny says Henry is abusing legislative rules to advance his agenda.

“While I have lost a lot of respect for people in the process, the one thing that I have always respected in this process, is the process, and the ability to work within the process to get things done.”

Henry opposes the legalization of sports betting.

The move to combine fantasy sports and sports gambling has legislators like Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt concerned…

“HEWITT: What advice would you give for those of us who have supported fantasy, because our people voted for it, but don’t support the sports betting, and now it’s all lumped into one big bill?

MARTINY: Same advice I would give you on any bill, vote your conscience.”

The final vote was 24-13. If the House rejects the newly amended legislation, it will head into a conference committee where members of the House and Senate will try to work out a compromise.