OHIO ALLOCATES SPORTS BETTING PROCEEDS TO YOUTH SPORTS

The Coalition’s interim advocacy director, Jared Cooper, recently wrote a guest column for Aspen Institute Project Play outlining how Ohio legislators recently followed in the footsteps of New York State’s legislators by allocating a portion of statewide sports betting revenue to community sports. Read the complete column. Cooper wrote, in part:

“It is heartening and worth remembering that grassroots organizations armed with the lived experience of their community members and compelling data can make a meaningful difference in the legislative process.”

This major step in the right direction is in large part thanks to the time and efforts of many youth sports leaders and advocates in the state of Ohio, especially in the summer of 2021 when PLAY Sports Coalition members Stephanie Infante and Debi Pence-Meyenberg gave impactful in-person testimonies to the importance of this type of commitment for young people.

The Coalition will continue to lead campaigns in states, like it’s done in Ohio and New York, to support legislation that includes adoption of tax allocations to support youth development programs.

Read more about these initiatives for youth sports in a recent SportsBusiness Journal newsletter by journalist Bill King.