Could Ohio Actually Rescind Online Sports Betting? It’s Unlikely

Posted on: April 8, 2026, 02:34h. 

Last updated on: April 8, 2026, 02:34h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Legislation introduced in Ohio threatens online sports betting
  • The “Save Ohio Sports Act” faces long odds
  • Ohio has a robust, highly profitable sports betting industry

Sports betting in Ohio became legal in 2021 when Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed House Bill 29. The statute authorized both online and in-person sportsbooks at casinos, racinos, sports stadiums, and bars and restaurants.

Ohio sports betting bill online sportsbooks
Ohio Rep. Riordan McClain leads a press conference introducing the “Save Ohio Sports Act.” The bill seeks to reinstate a prohibition on online sports betting in the Buckeye State. (Image: The Ohio Channel)

Ohio’s sports betting industry is among the largest in the country. Last year, oddsmakers took more than $10.3 billion in bets, generating gross revenue of upwards of $1 billion. The state’s tax allocation was almost $210 million.

Some say, including DeWine himself, that the state’s benefit isn’t worth the societal costs. The governor has called his signing of HB29 his greatest mistake.

The governor isn’t alone in having sports betting remorse. Today, state Reps. Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky), Gary Click (R-Vickery), Jonathan Newman (R-Troy), and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta) introduced legislation that would take back consumers’ legal rights to place online sports bets.

“It’s impossible to watch the game without being bombarded with advertisements and offers from gambling companies, particularly focused on ‘winning.’ That fact is that most bettors do not win,” said McClain.

Only 5% of bettors are profitable, and those bettors who do win are quickly identified and often restricted by the gambling companies. This has real effect on Ohioans. Dollars lost from gambling are taken from families, taken from kitchen tables,” McClain continued.

McClain and Click, who were in the Ohio House in 2021, both voted against HB29. The House and Senate votes were 72-13 and 31-1.

‘Save Ohio Sports Act’

The Save Ohio Sports Act recommends that sports betting be limited to the state’s four commercial casinos. The state’s seven racetrack casinos, or racinos, would lose their online and retail sportsbook privileges. Placing a sports bet at a restaurant or bar through the Ohio Lottery’s UBetOhio Sportsbook would also become a thing of the past.

The pullbacks don’t end there. The Save Ohio Sports Act would limit wagers to $100, and a customer would only be allowed to make eight wagers per 24 hours. Finally, the Save Ohio Sports Act would prohibit in-game betting, proposition and parlay bets, and completely ban wagers on collegiate sports. Many such wagers have been linked to game and match fixing.

“As a fan, I want to watch highly talented individuals and teams compete at the highest levels. I want to know that the outcome is determined on the field — not by the gambling markets,” McClain said.

The legislation has the support of gambling reform advocates, including the Center for Christian Virtue.

Could Ohio Online Sports Bets Go Offline?

Repealing an industry previously legalized is an uphill battle, a legal concern that could call into question constitutional rights protected by the Ohio Constitution.

Ohio’s gaming market is additionally home to some of the nation’s largest gaming interests, including MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Penn Entertainment, and Jack Entertainment, multibillion-dollar entities with deep lobbying pockets.

Rescinding the current sports betting law would also presumably face a bounty of public backlash.