Ohio Lawmakers Discussing Banning Online Sports Betting, signaling potential changes in Ohio sports betting laws 2026
A trio of Ohio representatives recently called a press conference to introduce the Save Ohio Sports Act, which would effectuate, among other things, a prohibition on online sports betting, a major shift in online sportsbook regulations in Ohio.
Sports Betting Reboot
Ohio Representatives Gary Click, Johnathan Newman, and Riordan McClain have proposed a law that would fundamentally transform the digital sports betting industry.
The lawmakers argue that online sports betting poses too great a risk to the public’s financial and mental health and should be dramatically altered.
“The addictive nature of gambling, combined with the modern technology that we have in our pockets today, including 24/7 access and unlimited options to place bets, has become a problem for many,” McClain said.
The proposed Save Ohio Sports Act includes the following key elements:
- Gambling Location Requirements: Mandates that all sports betting take place exclusively at one of Ohio’s four constitutionally authorized physical casinos, banning online sportsbooks in the Buckeye State.
- Credit Card Ban: Prohibits the use of credit cards for placing any bets, ensuring that individuals only gamble with funds they possess.
- Wager Amount and Frequency Limits: Restricts individual wagers to a maximum of $100 and limits users to eight bets within 24 hours.
- Full Ban on Proposition (“Prop”) Bets & Parlays: Prevents sportsbooks from offering prop bets on player stats. This is intended to diminish the harassment directed at athletes by disgruntled bettors. Parlay bets will also be outlawed in the bill.
- Total Ban on Collegiate Athletic Wagering: Prohibits all bets on college sports to protect the integrity of amateur competitions and the well-being of student-athletes.
- Advertising Limits and Prohibitions: Bans all sports-betting advertisements during live broadcasts of professional sports games and within physical professional sports venues. It also eliminates risk-free or free bets to entice new customers.
Governor Mike DeWine has been vocal about his displeasure with the online sports betting industry and regrets signing the bill into law in December 2021 before the industry launched in January 2023.
“People have asked me, ‘What mistakes did you make?’ And I’ll lead with signing a bill for sports gaming,” DeWine said earlier this year. “It’s a huge problem among young males up to 45,” he added. “It’s a huge problem. And we have many of them addicted, many of them spending money that they do not have.”
Sports Betting Supporters Respond
It will not be easy to convince fellow lawmakers to give up a revenue stream that has produced over $500 million in taxes since the online sports betting industry launched in 2023.
The press conference recently held was also devoid of numerical data that illustrates the number of adults who have become addicted to sports betting since it launched.
Ohio Senate Minority Whip Kent Smith suggested that while limiting prop bets might be reasonable, the Save Ohio Sports Act goes too far.
“Ohioans have already made their opinion clear, and that they want to be able to gamble on sports,” Smith said. “I think they’re using the problem that we all recognize from the prop bets and expanding it out to try to get rid of the whole thing,” Smith added.
