OhioSports bettors would place bets only inside Ohio casino betting areas
Ohio sports bettors would need to be inside a casino betting area, where licensed casino operators could accept bets through counters, terminals, or on-site apps.
What it does
Sports bettors would have to place bets inside a casino betting area. Licensed casino operators could accept bets at a counter, through terminals, or through apps used there.
Operators could not offer college sports bets, combined bets called parlays, bets on specific plays or player achievements, or bets placed while an event is underway.
Each operator could accept up to eight bets per person within 24 hours, each worth up to $100. Operators could not accept credit cards or provide promotional betting credits.
Sports betting operators’ ads could not appear inside college sports venues or air in conjunction with a live broadcast of a sporting event.
Covered license holders would receive partial fee refunds based on time left on their licenses. Operators would also receive their bond money back, minus unpaid required payments.
Argument forBet limits and the credit-card ban could help bettors control spending and avoid borrowing money to place sports bets.
Argument againstRequiring bettors to visit a casino could make legal sports betting harder to access for people who live far away.
More detail
Licensed casino operators could accept sports bets only inside designated casino betting areas. Only licensed casino operators could receive an operator license, covering one betting area at the casino named on the license. Bettors would have to be at least 21. Personal-device apps would have to require their presence inside the betting area. Knowingly offering or accepting bets from someone outside a betting facility would carry felony penalties and mandatory license loss for licensed operators.
Sports betting operators would not offer or accept college bets, parlays, proposition bets, or bets placed during play. Proposition bets concern specific occurrences or achievements, rather than the score or outcome of an event or one of its parts. Other betting methods and events would need approval from the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
Sports betting operators would limit bet amounts and frequency and could not accept credit cards or provide promotional betting credits. Each operator could accept no more than eight bets from one person within 24 hours, with no single bet exceeding $100. The credit-card restriction would also cover buying betting credits or funding a sports betting account. Promotional betting credits include discounts or similar offers that let someone place or increase a bet.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission would require sports betting ads to stay out of college sports venues and live sports broadcasts. These restrictions would cover sports betting operators’ advertisements.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission would return part of covered license fees and return operators’ bond money after checking required payments. The covered operator licenses are for online betting, betting facilities, and retail betting terminals. Fee refunds would cover holders of active type A, B, or C operator licenses or mobile management licenses who paid the associated fees. The commission would calculate fee refunds using the time left on each license. Operator bond refunds would subtract unpaid required payments. A bond guarantees payment. Section 4 would apply when it takes effect. The commission would issue written findings about operators’ payments within six months after that date.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jul 1IntroducedIntroduced
Consumer ProtectionCriminal Justice