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Ohio lawmakers are preparing two bills that would sharply narrow legal sports betting in the state. The package would leave betting legal, but many common sportsbook features would no longer be allowed.
Good to Know
March Madness sits in the background, yet the real story is broader than one tournament. Three Republican Ohio House members want to rewrite how legal sports betting works across the state, with a plan that would make Ohio one of the toughest markets in the country if passed.
At a Wednesday press conference, Gary Click, Johnathan Newman, and Riordan McClain laid out the direction of the effort. Instead of ending legal wagering, they framed the package around consumer protection and gambling harm. Click said:
“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; that they want to be protected from predatory advertisements and predatory gambling in Ohio, because the house always wins. We know that.”
Support at the event came from Aaron Baer, executive director of the Center for Christian Virtue, and Tony Coder, CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation. Their appearance underscored the argument from lawmakers that sports betting is carrying financial and mental health costs for Ohio residents.
The proposed restrictions go far beyond a small regulatory update. Lawmakers want limits on how much people can bet and how often they can place wagers. They also want to ban credit card deposits, block financial incentives from sportsbooks, and place tighter limits on advertising.
Another large part of the plan would hit betting menus directly. The bills would ban prop bets, parlays, and in-game betting. They would also ban all betting on college athletics, cutting out a major category for sportsbooks in Ohio.
One of the biggest changes would reshape access itself. The lawmakers want sports betting confined to casino properties. That would be a major turn for a state that launched legal sports betting with broad digital access and retail options.
Both bills are still being drafted. Even so, the outline already shows how far the sponsors want to go. Ohio would still have legal sports gambling under the plan, but it would look far different from the product bettors know today.