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Gaming Edge’s TL;DR
- Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill that would repeal online sports betting while leaving retail wagering in place at licensed casinos.
- If it becomes law, Ohio would be the first state to unwind online sports betting after the post-PASPA expansion.
Republican members of the Ohio House have introduced House Bill 971, the Save Ohio Sports Act, a measure that would outlaw online sports betting in the state but preserve in-person betting at licensed casinos.
The bill also goes much further than a simple repeal.
Under HB 971, prop bets and live betting markets would be banned. Only single-game bets would be allowed, meaning parlays would be prohibited. The proposal would also cap wagers at $100 and limit bettors to eight bets in a 24-hour period.
College betting markets would not be allowed for any sport or event.
The bill also targets gambling promotion and payments. It would prohibit gambling ads within collegiate sports venues and during broadcasts of live sporting events, and it would ban credit card funding for gambling. Rep. Jonathan Newman, announcing the bill, said:
“Monetizing addiction to fund public education is the wrong direction for Ohio.”
Ohio sports betting market would shrink drastically
For Ohio bettors, the biggest practical change is obvious: mobile sportsbooks would disappear if the bill passes, while retail betting would remain available at licensed casinos. The proposal would also sharply narrow what legal betting would look like in the state.
A market with no online wagering, no parlays, no live betting, no prop bets, no college markets, a $100 wager cap, and an eight-bet daily limit would be a dramatically smaller product than the one operators currently offer. That would put pressure on major brands such as DraftKings and FanDuel, both named in the source material, and could reshape how sportsbooks view risk in heavily regulated states.
The advertising provisions are also notable. A ban on gambling ads inside college venues and during live sports broadcasts would add to the broader national debate over how aggressively sportsbooks can market to consumers.
On payments, the bill aligns with a compliance issue already under discussion in Ohio: The Ohio Casino Control Commission previously proposed a rule to ban credit cards for sportsbook accounts, while allowing ACH transfers, promo credits, winnings, and wire transfers.
Legal sports betting launched in the state just three years ago, on Jan. 1, 2023.
Based on reporting by Justin Byers for SBC Americas.
