Is Legal Ohio Sports Betting on the Way Out?
Three Ohio lawmakers announced they would propose a bill to eliminate online sports betting in the Buckeye State.
The legislation, called the Save Ohio Sports Act, would ban online sportsbooks. However, with tightened restrictions, people could still make in-person sports bets at casinos in the state.
Three lawmakers propose online sports betting ban
At a press conference, Republican lawmakers Riordan McClain, Gary Click, and Johnathan Newman announced they would propose legislation to ban online sports betting. While Ohio takes in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue from sports betting, the three representatives and others in favor see the problem gambling issue outweighing the costs to the state.
The Reps and supporters also noted how addictive online sports gambling is and how television and radio commercials are inundated by sports betting ads. Representative McClain stated, "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 of play, not by the gambling markets.”
In speaking of the issue that the ban is not outright, just for online sports betting, Rep. Click stated, “We do understand that people want some form of legalized sports gambling. We’re not removing that, but we also know that people want consumer protections.” It was also brought up in the meeting that there would be no ban on federally regulated prediction markets, such as Kalshi. However, a newly introduced Ohio bill would regulate prediction markets at the state level.
The tax issue
Banning online sports betting would cost the state about $200 million in annual tax revenue. According to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, $209 million was collected from the 20% operator tax in 2025, with online sportsbooks accounting for the majority ($205.1 million).
Most of the tax revenue (98%) goes to education, while 2% is allocated to problem gambling organizations in the state.
"I want to know that the outcome is determined on the field of play, not by the gambling markets.” — Rep. McClain
Only 4 retail sportsbooks would remain
If the legislation to ban online sports betting were to come to fruition, there would only be in-person sports betting at one of the four land-based casinos in Ohio. The cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, and Columbus each have one casino. All four of the major betting brands of DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, and Fanatics would have to close the doors of their retail sportsbooks.
The Save Ohio Sports Act proposal also limits wagers at land-based casino sports betting areas to $100 and limits people to eight bets within 24 hours. Other provisions include banning credit card use for sports betting, no free bets, no sportsbook ads at Ohio pro sports games or in stadiums and arenas, and forbidding parlays, live betting, and betting on any college event.
Ongoing integrity issues
There have already been a few sports betting integrity issues in Ohio since the state legalized sports betting in 2023. Here is a timeline:
- 2023 – Not long after sports betting was legalized, Anthony Grant, the University of Dayton men’s basketball coach, stated that people had threatened the team's players over lost wagers.
- 2023 – At the BetMGM retail sportsbook, Bert Nuff attempted to bet $100,000 on LSU to beat Alabama in a baseball game. He made a $15,000 bet that was later flagged after he showed BetMGM clerks texts from an Alabama coach stating the starting pitcher would not be playing.
- 2025 – Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, were put on leave by MLB after it was discovered they were linked to bettors for individual pitches during a game.
The future of Ohio's online sports betting market
While the Save Ohio Sports Act is in its infancy, the ban would be a backward step for online sports betting, which continues to grow in the U.S.
It remains to be seen whether the ban will go through, given the negative issues that have occurred in the Buckeye State. Gov. Mike DeWine has stated that he regrets signing the legal sports betting bill into law.
