Gambling council takes shape – Nashville Post

The new advisory council tasked with overseeing sports betting in Tennessee now has enough members to meet and conduct business — but you still won’t be able to wager on the opening weekend of college football.

The speakers of the House and Senate and the governor each get three appointments to the Lottery Corporation Sports Wagering Advisory Council, set up by the Tennessee General Assembly when it decided to sanction sports betting in the state earlier this year.

Senate Speaker Randy McNally, a Republican who opposed the sports betting bill, appointed Brian Fazenbaker, a former FBI agent now an investigator for Nissan, and Samuel Lee, chief deputy in the Knox County District Attorney’s Office in July. Earlier this week, McNally named Memphis Grizzlies official Kandace Stewart to the council.

Former House Speaker Glen Casada, a Republican who backed the betting bill, appointed two members to the council shortly before his resignation earlier this month: Knoxville attorney John Valliant and Tom Lee, a lobbyist and member in charge of the Nashville office of Frost Brown Todd. That leaves new Speaker Cameron Sexton, also a Republican who supported the bill, with one vacancy to fill.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who opposed the bill and allowed it to become law without his signature, has yet to make any appointments.

The council is tasked with advising the lottery corporation on sports betting best practices as the latter sets up the infrastructure required to handle the new practice. The law allows for online sports betting by those 21 years and older, which legislative staffers estimated would generate around $50 million annually in tax revenue and licensing fees. An earlier proposal called for brick-and-mortar betting locations and a minimum age of 18.

A lottery spokesperson confirmed there was no timeline for the rollout of gambling infrastructure.