Ohio Governor Regrets Legalizing Sports Betting

Were he to be given a do-over, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine insists he would never sign the bill that legalized retail and online sports betting in the state.

“Ohio shouldn’t have done it,” DeWine said.

It was DeWine’s signature in 2021 on the bill that ultimately put the wheels in motion to legalize sports betting in the Buckeye State as of January 1, 2023. Given the chance to go back in time, knowing what he knows today, DeWine wishes he had never put pen to paper on that bill.

“Look, we’ve always had gambling, we’re always going to have gambling,” DeWine told The Associated Press. “But just the power of these companies and the deep, deep, deep pockets they have to advertise and do everything they can to get someone to place that bet is really different once you have legalization of them.”

Betting scandals are prominently connected to Ohio

Framing DeWine’s change of heart on sports betting are two major betting scandals in pro sports that both hold significant ties to Ohio. Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were both indicted on charges that they took bribes from sports bettors to throw a certain type of pitch in a specific situation, thereby ensuring a payout on prop bets placed by the people who bribed them.

An NBA betting scandal involving a New York crime family led to the indictment of players and coaches, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. Rozier is from Ohio.

DeWine is working to limit prop betting

In a perfect world, DeWine would love to be able to eliminate prop wagers – placing a bet on a specific outcome within a game – from sports betting. He worked with NCAA President Charlie Baker to eliminate prop betting on college sports in Ohio. DeWine also discussed the issue with the commissioners of each major North American sport.

“It needs to be holistic, it needs to be universal,” DeWine said. “They’re just playing with fire. I mean, they are just asking for more and more trouble (with) their failure to address this.”

He was able to team with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to establish a $200 maximum bet limit for prop bets placed on specific pitches in MLB games.

“Gov. DeWine really did a huge service, I think — to us, certainly, I can’t speak for any of the other sports — in terms of kind of bringing forward the need to do something in this area,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters.

DeWine would like to see other sports follow suit.

“You try to do what you can do, and you try and warn people, and try to take action as we did with collegiate (sports), and you try to take action like what we’re doing with baseball,” DeWine said. “But we’ve got to keep pushing these other sports to do it, too.”

It’s unlikely that legal Ohio sports betting will be reversed

As much as he might wish otherwise, DeWine understands the reality is that Ohio sports betting isn’t going away.

“There’s not the votes for that,” DeWine said. “I can count.

“I’m not always right, but I can pretty much guarantee you that they’re not ready to do this.”

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