(AsiaGameHub) – Not long ago, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine publicly expressed regret over his personal role in legalizing sports betting in the state.
Currently, a bloc of Republican lawmakers has introduced two bills that would dramatically change the gambling landscape in the Buckeye State. The legislation would ban all online sports betting (OSB); prohibit wagering on college sports; eliminate in-game, prop, and parlay bets; cap individual wagers at $100; block the use of credit cards for deposits; and outlaw gambling advertisements during live games.
The group of Republican lawmakers includes:
- Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery)
- Rep. Johnathan Newman (R-Troy)
- Rep. Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky)
- Rep. Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta)
The two bills are focused on upholding sports integrity in Ohio, a state recently shaken by the MLB spot-fixing scandal involving Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.
“Can you imagine a pitcher on the mound manipulating the game’s outcome to win bets?” Newman asked rhetorically during yesterday’s press conference.
Examining Lost Revenue and Rising Gambling Addiction
The most impactful measure introduced in the legislation is a full ban on all online sports betting in Ohio. In 2025, online betting generated $584,887,009 in sports gaming revenue for the state. Retail (in-person) betting revenue totaled just $7,109,349.
The ongoing scandal tied to Clase and Ortiz was a major catalyst for this new legislation, along with a state report that documented a sharp increase in gambling addiction cases.
“We are working to put common-sense consumer protections in place to protect Ohio citizens,” Click said.
Tamera Hunter, who works for a Kent-based health organization that treats addictive conditions, says online betting “is having a direct negative impact on people’s health” after it was legalized in 2023.
“Gambling addiction has severely escalated since online betting launched,” she said. “Through our patient screenings, we have definitely seen a 25%-30% increase in cases since online sports betting went live.”
Click echoed these sentiments.
“When you combine the addiction of gambling with the addictive nature of these mobile devices,” he said, holding up a cell phone. “It creates a harmful synergy.”
He added, “We are essentially funding mental health crises here in Ohio. Everyone talks about how it will bring tax benefits, but that means nothing when we are creating mental health problems for our friends and neighbors.”
Do These Bills Stand a Realistic Chance of Passing?
The Republican lawmakers, well aware of how popular online sports betting is in the state, admit they are “facing an uphill battle” to pass the bills.
McClain acknowledged receiving “mixed feedback from his GOP colleagues, and even the strongly anti-gambling DeWine disagrees with portions of the legislation.”
Ohio already removed college prop bets from the state’s online betting menu in 2024. DeWine also successfully lobbied MLB and sportsbooks to implement restrictions on micro-prop bets and place limits on these wagers.
While select provisions of the current bills — banning credit card deposits and gambling ads during games — may be adopted, a full total ban on online sports betting is unlikely to be enacted.
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