Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has made it clear that he thinks legalizing online sports betting earlier this decade was a mistake. Now, a group of Republican lawmakers in the state have announced an ambitious proposal to outlaw it.
At a press conference on Wednesday, three legislators said they will soon file the Save Ohio Sports Act, which would change state law to make sports betting legal only on-site at the state’s licensed casinos.
Reps. Gary Click, Riordan McClain, and Johnathan Newman are also suggesting several other restrictions, including:
- Banning all prop bets and in-game betting
- Banning parlays
- Capping individual bets at $100 and limiting bettors to eight wagers in a 24-hour period
- Banning all wagering on college sports
- Banning the use of credit cards for online sports betting
- Banning sportsbooks from offering incentives like free bets
- Limiting how sportsbooks can advertise, including banning ads during game broadcasts or in sporting venues
Different times, drastic measures?
Some of those measures, such as banning credit cards or restricting advertising or inducements, are fairly common measures that have been taken by states to establish stronger safeguards around online gambling. College betting and props, too, have been hot-topic issues for legislators. But repealing online sports betting entirely is something that no state has ever done since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, although it has been floated as an idea on rare occasions.
The lawmakers’ measure, as unveiled on Wednesday, would restrict sports betting to the state’s four casinos only, not allowing it at the state’s racinos, sports arenas or other venues.
The legislators said during the press conference that some of the specifics, such as the bans on in-game bets and ads during games, are intended to dissuade Ohioans from gambling impulsively.
“Since it was legalized in 2023, sports betting in Ohio has rapidly expanded and dominates the entire sports landscape,” Riordan told reporters. “As a fan, it’s impossible to watch the games or even listen to sports content without being bombarded by advertisements or offers from gambling companies, particularly focused on winning. The fact is that most bettors do not win.
“The addictive nature of gambling combined with the modern technology in our pockets today provides us with 24/7 access and limitless options to place bets that have become a problem for many.”
“We do understand that people want some form of legalized sports gambling, we’re not removing that,” added Click. “But we also know that people want consumer protections; that they want to be protected from predatory advertisements and predatory gambling in Ohio.”
The bills will inevitably face pushback from many corners. Riordan noted that while the bill has gotten a mixed reception from state lawmakers, he and his fellow advocates feel their ideas are reasonable to add specific restrictions on aspects of sports betting that they think add to the “epidemic” the state has experienced.
Regrets, DeWine’s had a few
DeWine legalized sports betting in Ohio in late 2021 by approving legislation and the online and mobile market launched on Jan. 1, 2023. The governor does not look back fondly on those decisions.
His rhetoric about sports wagering graduated from voicing concerns about college prop betting to, in the wake of the Cleveland Guardians pitch-rigging scandal, advocating for prop bets to be eliminated in Ohio, either by legislation or by OCCC regulatory changes.
After Major League Baseball announced in November that its authorized betting operators would cap the stake of pitch-level prop bets at $200 and exclude them from parlays, DeWine eased up on his calls for Ohio to ban props outright. The OCCC told SBC Americas in November that it may still pursue a change in its betting regulations, “should it become apparent that regulatory action is necessary.”
Since then, DeWine’s temperature has risen.
Later in November, he told the Associated Press that he “absolutely” regretted signing the sports betting law and that allowing legal wagering was the wrong thing to do, saying “Ohio shouldn’t have done it.” He said at that time that he would sign a bill that repealed legal sports betting in Ohio if one ever reached his desk, although he said he did not believe that would happen.
Two months later, in late January, he doubled down by saying that signing off on sports betting at the end of 2021 had become his “biggest regret” by the start of 2026.
