Ohio Legislators Want to Drastically Downsize Sports Betting, Including Banning Online Wagers
Ohio Rep. Johnathan Newman (Credit: Department of Defense)
A group of Ohio legislators has put together controversial plans that would drastically downsize the sports betting industry in the state.
Dubbed the Save Ohio Sports Act, it seeks to scale back sports betting via multiple massive restrictions:
- Complete ban on online bets
- No in-game bets, props, or parlays
- Max bet of $100
- Ban on ads and credit card deposits
- Max of eight wagers per 24 hours
State Reps. Johnathan Newman, Gary Click, Riordan McClain, and Kevin Ritter are behind a pair of bills that seek to implement these policies to scale back the level of wagering in the state.
Although the proposal stops short of full prohibition, it would mean considerably less betting in Ohio. Gamblers would need to go in person to one of the retail casinos in the state and could only get down $800 per visit.
That would make professional betting impossible without using illegal means. It would also reduce sports betting revenue to a trickle for operators and state coffers alike. Last year, Ohio sportsbooks produced over $1 billion revenue, 20% of which went to the state. However, a whopping 98.9% of that came from online betting.
In addition to nixing online betting, the Save Ohio Sports Act would eliminate the ability to bet on sports at lottery kiosks located in grocery stores, bars, and other establishments.
An Unprecedented Combination of Restrictions
Click called the restrictions “common sense consumer protections,” but they’re actually quite drastic, and nowhere near standard in the regulated industry.
Some of the restrictions do match those implemented in other states. For instance, many states, such as Arizona, New York, and Colorado, prohibit prop bets on college players. Ohio already has such a rule in place, which would then extend to professional sports as well.
New York has also looked at the possibility of banning in-game betting. Live bets are seen as a more addictive product, since users can use them to “chase” — continue betting ever larger amounts in hopes of recouping prior losses.
States like Nebraska and Mississippi also have legal sports betting, but only at retail shops.
Credit card deposits are also becoming a thing of the past. FanDuel and DraftKings recently nixed that option. BetMGM followed suit not long after. Many states didn’t allow them, in any case.
However, taken altogether, these bans would create an unprecedented level of restrictions on the industry. Banning parlays and limiting bettors to $100 also breaks new ground, as does limiting wagers to eight per 24 hours. Gaming America isn’t aware of any other states that have similar rules.
Ohio Legislators Curiously Mum on Prediction Markets
Much like the recommended guardrails, the quotes from the state representatives hoping to curb the sports betting industry were a mix of reasonable and over-the-top.
“When you combine the addiction of gambling with the addiction of one of these devices,” Click said, holding up a cell phone. “It’s synergistic in a bad way.”
Being able to gamble on one’s phone does indeed put addicted gamblers in a perilous situation. In theory, self-exclusion tools and built-in responsible gambling checks can mitigate this danger. But in reality, online sportsbooks are generally all too happy to accept action from addicts engaging in compulsive behavior.
McClain also rightly pointed out the hypocrisy involved when sportsbooks advertise the ability to win and then limit those who actually do so.
However, McClain also delivered the following:
“As a fan, I want to watch highly talented individuals and teams compete at the highest levels. I want to know that the outcome is determined on the field — not by the gambling markets.”
This is a particularly sensitive subject in Ohio, home to the Cleveland Guardians. Two Guardians pitchers are under indictment on charges that they rigged prop bets, putting hundreds of thousands of dollars in gamblers’ pockets while collecting tens of thousands in bribes.
The reality, though, is that “the gambling market” determining the outcome of bets is an incredibly rare occurrence. Bad actors are more likely to get caught in a regulated market than an unregulated one.
In fact, the ends (betting results) engineering the means (real-life outcomes) is far more of a problem in prediction markets. Insider trading cases have abounded since the proliferation of prediction markets. Yet, the News 5 Cleveland reporter covering the proposed legislation specifically wrote that the bill would not apply to prediction markets.
That seems a curious oversight at best and suspicious at worst, if consumer protection were the true goal of this legislation.
Is Ohio Really Willing to Sacrifice Sports Betting Tax Revenue?
The four Republican lawmakers would have a built-in ally in Gov. Mike DeWine. Though DeWine signed off on legal sports betting, he has since repeatedly said he regrets the move, in light of the high-profile scandals that have occurred.
Still, the fact of the matter is that, as in almost every other state in which it’s been legalized, sports betting has been a major fiscal boon to Ohio.
The state has one of the more modest tax rates out there, charging operators 20%. Yet, it still raked in more than $209 million in taxes in 2025. Assuming that the wagering cap would offset any recaptured revenue from the disappearing online sector, that would drop to $2 million under the proposed restrictions.
Despite what DeWine says, when push comes to fiscal shove, that would be a lot of money at which to turn up the government’s collective nose.
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