An influential Ohio politician has confirmed that he is working on a bill that would bring legal online casino gambling to the Buckeye State.
Rep. Brian Stewart, who is chair of the House Finance Committee, told WOSU Public Media this week that he is in the process of drafting the legislation with the objective of generating more revenue for the state. The bill could be formally filed in next year’s session.
This year, Stewart is the sponsor of House Bill 96, the House’s version of the two-year state budget, which was approved by Republicans after they scrapped Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed measure to double the tax rate on online sports betting from 20% to 40%. DeWine previously doubled the rate from 10% to 20% in 2023.
Although the governor’s latest proposed sports betting tax hike was abandoned, Ohio politicians have repeatedly pointed to the revenues that online casino could potentially bring.
Ohioans continue to wager billions of dollars per year on legal online sportsbooks. In 2024 alone, online sportsbooks handled nearly $9 billion in bets, resulting in more than $180 million in tax revenue for the state.
Lawmakers, operators point to opportunities
The current state budget, which was approved two years ago, set up a Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio to explore the idea of expanding online gambling to include casino-style games and poker.
That resulted in multiple Republican lawmakers recommending in a report last year that online casino be legalized and regulated to realize the significant increases to tax revenues that other states have seen since legalizing the vertical. Lawmakers did caution, though, that while online casino could be a net benefit, Ohio’s existing retail casinos and horse racetracks must be protected from the potential effect of cannibalization.
Last year, while the Ohio Lottery argued that online sports betting has already negatively impacted its business, retail casino operators such as Caesars, PENN Entertainment, MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming all submitted testimony on the benefits of expansion.
This year, CEOs of operators have continued to adovate for online casino expansion. Rush Street Interactive, for example, has operated the BetRivers online sportsbook in Ohio for more than two years. Its CEO Richard Schwartz said on an earnings call last week that “the reality is that legalizing online casino remains one of the best options for state governments to make up any near or long-term budget deficits.”
It’s reliable, proven and straightforward for states to implement …” Schwartz added. “As more states recognize the dual benefits of protecting their citizens and generating substantial tax revenues, we believe the iGaming legalization will gain momentum in the coming years.”
Sports betting sponsor says it’s time for iCasino
Former Ohio Sen. Niraj Antani, who authored the bill that legalized sports betting in Ohio in 2022, introduced an online casino bill last September and said that he hoped it would “kickstart” the conversation.
His bill would have tethered the licenses to the state’s 11 casinos, a measur ehe aergued would proeect retail gaming revenues. He proposed a market to be overseen by the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) which would tax online table games and slots at 15%, lower than the unaltered sports betting rate.
He suggested one-year licenses with an application fee of at least $100,000, a licensing fee of $300,000+ and a problem gambling fund fee of $250,000+.
That bill, as expected, did not make progress before the year was out, wasn’t pre-filed for 2025 and Antani is no longer in office. But the conversation around legal online casino in Ohio seems unlikely to go away.
