Ohio Republicans Propose Banning Online Sports Betting, Limiting Wagers to Four Casinos
Three Ohio Republican state representatives want to roll back one of the most successful legal sports betting markets in the country.
Reps. Riordan McClain, Gary Click, and Johnathan Newman announced Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse that they plan to introduce the Save Ohio Sports Act, a two-bill package that would eliminate online sports betting in Ohio and sharply restrict what remains. This comes just months after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called the legalization of sports betting his worst mistake.
The proposal would cost the state more than $200 million annually in tax revenue currently dedicated to K-12 education and problem gambling programs.
What the Bills Would Do
The Save Ohio Sports Act is not a complete prohibition. Sponsors acknowledged that Ohioans want some form of legal sports betting. What they are proposing instead is a dramatic contraction of the market.
Online sports betting apps would be eliminated entirely. Wagering would be restricted to Ohio’s four full-fledged casinos: Hard Rock in Cincinnati, JACK! Entertainment in Cleveland, and two PENN Entertainment locations in Columbus and Toledo. The current law allows betting at four casinos, seven racinos, and any site where an operator has partnered with a professional sports team or local business. All of those additional locations would close.
Every retail wager would be capped at $100. Bettors could place no more than eight bets in any 24-hour period. Parlays, in-game markets, and all college event wagering would be banned. Free bets and credit card deposits would be prohibited. Sportsbook advertising during professional sports broadcasts and inside stadiums and arenas would be blocked. DeWine was very outspoken regarding the college basketball point-shaving scandal and how it rocked Ohio sports.
The legislation would not affect federally regulated prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which offer parlays and collegiate event wagering. It would also apparently leave daily fantasy sports operators untouched, despite their pick’em and parlay-style product formats drawing criticism from the same sponsors during the press conference. McClain acknowledged the limitation directly. “We’re Ohio legislators,” he said. “We only have access to control what we do here in Ohio.”
The Revenue Consequences
Ohio dedicated 98% of sports betting tax revenue to K-12 education funding in 2025. The remaining 2% goes to problem gambling services. The 20% tax on operator revenue generated more than $209 million during the 2025 calendar year. Online sportsbooks accounted for $205.1 million of that total. Brick-and-mortar betting produced just $191.2 million in total handle, less than 1.9% of Ohio’s overall sports betting volume of $10.3 billion.
The practical effect of the bills would be to eliminate nearly all of the tax base. The four remaining casinos, each with a $100 wager cap and an eight-bet daily limit, would generate a fraction of current revenue.
State Sen. Nathan Manning, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Gaming and helped shepherd the original sports betting bill through the legislature five years ago, issued a sharp response. “I believe this is short-sighted legislation that takes away personal liberty,” Manning said. “This legislation would reduce funding to our public schools and problem gaming resources that are much needed.”
The Faith-Based Push Behind the Bills
The Center for Christian Virtue, a Columbus-based faith-based public policy organization, helped craft the legislation and publicize Wednesday’s announcement. CCV President Aaron Baer compared sports betting operators offering bonuses to drug dealers offering free samples and described sports betting as having the addictive properties of narcotics.
His framing set the tone for a press conference that ran nearly an hour and focused heavily on advertising saturation, addiction, and concerns about game integrity. McClain said his motivation was straightforward. As a fan, he said, he wants to watch competition decided on the field, not by gambling markets.
Ohio’s Integrity Track Record
Ohio has actually moved more aggressively on integrity concerns than most states since launching in January 2023. It was the first state to allow permanent banning of anyone who threatens or harasses an athlete over a bet. It was also the first state to accept the NCAA’s request to ban prop bets on individual college athletes after regulators determined those wagers represented less than 1.5% of total handle.
The controversy that has received the most sustained attention involved Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who were placed on leave by MLB in 2025 while the league investigated their participation in a pitch-outcome betting scheme. That investigation contributed to MLB announcing post-season that sportsbooks would cap individual pitch wagers at $200 and prohibit them from parlays.
Governor Mike DeWine has said publicly that he regrets signing the sports betting bill. He has twice sought to raise the sports betting tax, first to 40% to fund stadium construction, but lawmakers rejected both attempts.
What Happens Next
The Save Ohio Sports Act has not yet been formally filed. A fourth sponsor, Rep. Kevin Ritter, did not attend the announcement. The bills face significant headwinds. Manning’s opposition is notable given his role in the original legislation. House Speaker Matt Huffman, who helped pass sports betting as Senate President, has not publicly commented on the proposal.
The political math of eliminating $200 million in annual education funding makes passage difficult under any circumstances.
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