Ohio Lawmakers Propose Major Changes To State Sports Betting
David Genge Published 10/04/2026
Three Ohio Republican House members introduced a bill on Wednesday that would take a hatchet to the current sports betting laws in the Buckeye State. The Save Ohio Sports Act proposes sweeping changes to what Ohioans are able to do at legal and regulated sports betting sites in the state.
Sponsors of the Save Ohio Sports Act insist that current sports betting laws are too loose and are impacting the fiscal and mental health of Ohioans.
While proposing an entire ban on sports betting in the state, the lawmakers behind the bill are encouraging their compatriots in the state legislature to make sweeping changes to how sports betting operates.
“We do understand that people want some form of legalized sports gambling, we’re not removing that,” Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), one of the three sponsors of the bill, said at a Wednesday press conference, according to the Dayton Daily News. “But we also know that people want consumer protections; that they want to be protected from predatory advertisements and predatory gambling in Ohio, because the house always wins.
”We know that.”
Rep. Johnathan Newman (R-Troy) and Rep. Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky) are the other co-sponsors of the Save Ohio Sports Act.
Under the terms of the bill, the Save Ohio Sports Act would eliminate all online sports betting in the state. Sports bettors would be left to wager in person at retail sports books.
The types of wagers that people could place would also be significantly curtailed. All prop bets, in-game betting, and parlay plays would be prohibited. There would also be a 100% ban on college sports betting.
Financial incentives offered by sportsbooks to get new players to sign up would also be eliminated. All forms of advertising relating to sports betting would also be severely limited. The use of credit cards to fund sports betting accounts would be prohibited statewide.
Lawmakers behind the bill insist that sports betting is creating negative perceptions about the integrity of sports.
“Do we really want, for the rest of our lives, to be watching every bad call from a ref and going, ‘Who’s in his ear? Who’s calling him? Who’s threatening his family?’” Newman said. “Do we want that?
“That’s where we are right now, and we’re here to say we want to change that.”
Mental health officials are supportive of more restrictive Ohio sports betting
State mental health officials are backing the bid for restrictions on Ohio sports betting.
Tony Coder, CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, noted that 254,000 Ohioans suffer from gambling disorders.
“Studies have shown that problem gambling . . . have the highest suicide rates among addiction disorders,” Coder said.
The bill’s co-sponsors believe they can gain enough support to move the initiative forward.
“We think this approach is reasonable,” Riordan said. “We think that these are specific restrictions on things that we think add to that epidemic, and we want to have those conversations with colleagues.
“We hope to get enough support to get this through the finish line.”
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