- Tennessee congressman David Hawk says he plans to fund the state’s new education reform through funds acquired via online sports betting.
- Tennessee just became one of the newest states to launch sports betting in November of 2020.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As the world of online sports betting strives to become a legal part of society, one congressman in Tennessee is coming up with his own solution.
Congressman David Hawk of the 5th district of the Tennessee House of Representatives told local news he wants to find a way to support the state’s education funding through the newly legalized online sports betting market.
Hawk insisted would love to create a piece of legislation that could put the state’s earned revenue from sports gambling towards local Tennessee schools and online learning initiatives.
“I’m going to try to take those dollars, 80% of those dollars, and put them back toward local governments for K through 12 facility building,” said Hawk regarding the matter. “It’s something that has not been tried before, so I’m going to try to dedicate those funds.”
Tennessee became one of the newest states to launch online sportsbooks in November of 2020. It is the first endeavor for the state in the USA online gambling industry.
According to Hawk, the state has already brought in around 2.4 million dollars in the first month of reported revenue from the gambling outlets. This money was generated via the state’s lottery fund, which was also legalized back in November.
Currently, the lottery fund only contributes to higher education projects like universities, but Hawk plans to adjust the flow of money into younger students.
“If there is $25,000,000 that comes into the online gambling through the state of Tennessee then just split that on a per-pupil basis,” said Hawk. “$25,000,000 would mean $25 per student would go back to school districts.”