INVESTIGATION INTO THE MATTER KNOX 14. ON MONDAY, OHIO LAWMAKERS ARE PUSHING TO ROLL BACK SPORTS BETTING. JUST THREE YEARS AFTER IT BECAME LEGAL, SUPPORTERS SAY THE GOAL IS TO ADDRESS GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT GAMBLING ADDICTION AND PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE GAMES. WLWT NEWS 5 NICOLE APONTE JOINS US LIVE WITH WHAT THESE CHANGES COULD MEAN FOR BETTORS ACROSS THE STATE. NICOLE STEPHEN, GOOD MORNING TO YOU. THIS NEW PROPOSAL IS CALLED THE SAVE OHIO SPORTS ACT. NOW IT WOULD LIMIT HOW MUCH AND HOW OFTEN PEOPLE CAN PLACE A BET. IT WOULD ALSO BAN THE USE OF CREDIT CARDS AND PROMOTIONAL OFFERS. THE ACT, WHICH INCLUDES TWO SEPARATE BILLS, ALSO BANS SEVERAL COMMON TYPES OF BETS, INCLUDING PROP BETS, PARLAYS AND IN-GAME WAGERING. THERE WOULD BE NEW LIMITS AS WELL, WITH BETS CAPPED AT $100 AND A MAXIMUM OF EIGHT BETS ALLOWED PER DAY. THE PROPOSAL WOULD ALSO BAN BETTING ON COLLEGE SPORTS AND RESTRICT SPORTS BETTING ADVERTISEMENTS IN ARENAS AND DURING BROADCASTS. SUPPORTERS SAY THE CHANGES ARE FOCUSED ON REDUCING PROBLEM GAMBLING AND LIMITING FINANCIAL LOSSES TIED TO BETTING. STATE DATA SHOWS THE INDUSTRY GENERATED MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN REVENUE LAST YEAR, WITH MOST OF THESE BETS BEING PLACED ONLINE. SOME LAWMAKERS SAY ANY CHANGES NEED TO BALANCE THOSE CONCERNS WITH THE ECONOMIC IMPACT. THE BILLS HAVE JUST BEEN INTRODUCED AND HAVE NOT BEEN ASSIGNED TO A COMMITTEE JUST YET. THE TIMELINE OF ALL OF THIS IS STILL UNCLEAR RIGHT NOW, BUT IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE THAT OHIO GOVERNOR MIKE DEWINE HAS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THAT HE REGRETTED SIGNING HOUSE BILL 29 INTO LAW, WHICH LEGALIZED SPORTS BETTING IN THE STATE.
Three Ohio state representatives introduced a pair of new bills this week that aim to severely restrict the availability of sports betting in the state. State Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery), Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky), and Johnathan Newman (R-Troy) introduced the “Save Ohio Sports Act” in a press conference on Wednesday. The Act, which is expected to be separated into two bills for lawmakers to consider, would impose wide-reaching restrictions on House Bill 29, which legalized sports betting in the state in 2023. Under the first bill, which was called a “consumer protection package” by supporters in the press conference, all sports betting on mobile phones would once again be outlawed. Additionally, the bill would cap all wagers to $100 at casinos and prohibit all wagers made by bettors on credit cards. “Bonus bets,” which are commonly used by sports betting companies as promotions for new customers, would also be made illegal. Moreover, sports gambling advertisements would be restricted from airing at certain times by broadcasters across the state. Meanwhile, under the second bill, which was referred to as a “sports integrity package” during the press conference, all prop bets, parlay bets, and mid-game bets would also be eliminated under the bill, as well as all bets on college sports. In sports gambling, prop bets are made on an individual player’s performance in a particular game. Common examples include how many rebounds a basketball player may make during a game or how many strikeouts a baseball pitcher has. Meanwhile, parlay bets are a series of two or more individual bets that are combined into one to increase the potential payout if all of the legs of the bet hit. During the press conference, lawmakers said that the Save Ohio Sports Act is intended to help restore the integrity of professional and collegiate sports, which they say have already been called into question in Ohio. Lawmakers cited former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz as examples of professional players who were manipulated by bettors for personal financial gain, after both were indicted in November by federal authorities for taking bribes to throw rigged pitches during MLB games. Both are now facing the possibility of up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all the charges they are facing. Supporters in the press conference also said that gambling is not a profitable activity for most who partake in it, and gives a false impression to customers in advertisements that anyone can realistically earn money doing so. As a result, supporters of the Save Ohio Sports Act said in the press conference that gambling can have the potential to result in significant financial troubles and poor mental health for participants, especially among young men. However, the bills, if enacted, could also have the effect of severely restricting the availability of an activity that has proven quite popular among Ohioans since being legalized: In 2025, approximately $1 billion in taxable revenue was brought in from sports betting, according to the Ohio Casino Control Commission. And of that amount, 98.6% came from outside of a casino, leading to supporters of the bill to acknowledge in the press conference that the Save Ohio Sports Act is likely to sever the vast majority of that tax revenue from the state’s budget in future years. Despite this, supporters maintained that the benefits to Ohioans’ mental and financial health were more important than the elimination of the revenue. The introduction of the pair of bills appear to follow a wider trend of growing backlash to the legalization of sports betting across Ohio over the past few years. Gov. Mike DeWine, who signed House Bill 29 into law, has since said that he regrets doing so, calling it the “biggest mistake” he has made as governor. However, DeWine has so far not said whether he intends to support the Save Ohio Sports Act.
