Is the Buckeye State ready to say goodbye to March Madness? Three Republican Ohio lawmakers will be introducing bills that would impose strict sports betting regulations in the state.
Key Takeaways
- Ohio launched online and retail sports betting on Jan. 1, 2023.
- Sports betting generated over $209 million in tax revenues in 2025.
- Three Ohio lawmakers will be introducing two bills that would drastically change the landscape for Buckeye sports bettors and sportsbooks.
Three Republican Ohio House members held a press conference on Wednesday to announce their proposed changes to Ohio sports betting regulations. State Representatives Gary Click (R), Johnathan Newman (R), and Riordan McClain (R) expressed concern about the financial and mental health toll of sports betting on Ohio residents.
“We do understand that people want some form of legalized sports gambling, we’re not removing that,” Rep. Gary Click said at the press conference. “But we also know that people want consumer protections; that they want to be protected from predatory advertisements and predatory gambling in Ohio, because the house always wins. We know that.”
The legislators’ two bills, still being drafted, would significantly change sports betting in Ohio, potentially making it one of the most restrictive legal sports betting states in the country.
Changes sought by the legislators include:
- Limiting the amount and frequency of bets.
- Prohibiting credit card use to fund bets.
- Confining sports betting to casinos properties.
- Prohibiting financial incentives offered by sports betting platforms.
- Placing limits on sports betting advertising.
- Banning all prop bets, parlays, and in-game betting.
- Banning all bets on college athletics.
The lawmakers were joined on Wednesday by supporters of the bills, including Aaron Baer, the executive director of the Center for Christian Virtue and Tony Coder, CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.
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Background
Ohio launched legalized sports betting on Jan. 1, 2023. Since its launch, there have been some minor changes to sports betting regulations. The tax rate on sports betting net revenue was changed from 10% to 20% starting in 2024. College prop bets were prohibited on March 1, 2024.
The changes associated with these two new potential bills would be far reaching. But as radical as the restrictions seem, they may have more support than they would have had just a few years ago.
Now, sports betting ads are ever-present, more people struggle to control their betting activity, and more athletes and officials are getting harassed over bets. Even Ohio Governor Mike DeWine regrets his decision to sign sports betting into law, calling it the “biggest mistake” of his seven-year tenure.
The potential restrictions, however, would take a toll on the sports betting sector in Ohio. And it would leave a sizeable hole in the state’s budget. In 2025, Ohio received $209.1 million in tax revenue from sports betting. Removing online betting, all parlays, and bets on college sports would also remove a lot of much needed tax revenue.
