Reps. Johnathan Newman and Beth Lear bill would ban online sports betting, restrict gambling options
Ohio lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban online sports betting and eliminate several of the state’s most popular wagering options, marking one of the most significant proposed rollbacks of legalized sports gambling since betting launched in Ohio in 2023.
House Bill 971, the Save Ohio Sports Act, was introduced by state Reps. Johnathan Newman, R-Troy, and Beth Lear, R-Galena, along with eight cosponsors.
If approved, the legislation would prohibit online and mobile sports betting and limit legal wagering to Ohio’s four casinos. It would also ban bets on college athletics, proposition bets, parlays and live in-game wagering.
The bill would further prohibit the use of credit cards or borrowed money for sports betting, cap individual wagers at $100, limit bettors to eight wagers every 24 hours and impose new restrictions on gambling advertisements and promotional offers.
Newman said the legislation is intended to address gambling addiction and reduce the influence of sports betting companies.
“Monetizing addiction to fund public education is the wrong direction for Ohio,” Newman said in a release. “Who wins when predatory gambling preys on the vulnerable? It’s not our schools; that’s for sure. It’s the trillion-dollar big gambling companies who win. How is this good for Ohio?”
Lear argued the state should place greater restrictions on an industry she believes profits from harmful behavior.
“Gambling is the number one addiction that leads to suicide,” Lear said in a release. “Online gambling companies are in an aggressive pay-to-play game with the Ohio Legislature, hoping to expand their profits on the backs of Ohioans with the ‘carrot’ of providing extra tax money for the government.”
Ohio lawmakers legalized sports betting in 2021, and legal wagering launched statewide in January 2023.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has repeatedly called for tighter restrictions on sports betting and previously said he regrets signing Ohio’s sports betting law. Earlier this year, his administration proposed banning the use of credit cards for sports betting, arguing the practice can contribute to gambling addiction.
DeWine has also pointed to betting scandals in professional sports while advocating for restrictions on proposition betting.
Last year, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase were indicted on federal charges alleging they accepted bribes tied to sports-betting schemes involving their pitching performances. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this year, Newman joined other Republican lawmakers in proposing restrictions on wager sizes, gambling advertisements and certain forms of sports betting. Several of those proposals are included in HB 971, which the lawmakers argue would reduce gambling addiction and curb what they describe as predatory practices within the sports betting industry.
Critics of similar proposals have argued that restricting legal betting options could push some gamblers toward offshore or unregulated markets.
