Ohio Gov. Calls for Ban on Prop Bets Amid Rising Harassment Concerns

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is urging the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) to remove proposition bets from the state’s legal betting offerings after a sports betting investigation involving two pitchers from the Cleveland Guardians.

Governor Calls for Prop Bets Ban

Governor DeWine is especially worried about micro prop bets, a type that targets very specific, player-driven events that can be easily manipulated. He cautioned that these bets pose a significant threat to the integrity of sports competition. 

This call to action comes after an MLB investigation resulted in the non-disciplinary administrative leave of two Cleveland Guardians players, Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase. The players were sidelined from team activities in July due to their involvement in a sports betting investigation, which reportedly focuses on suspicious prop betting activity related to Guardians games in Ohio, New York, and New Jersey during June.

In a public statement, Governor DeWine expressed that “the evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass.” He referenced both the MLB investigation and a history of threats against college athletes. Speaking of which, a current New Jersey bill intends to ban college prop bets, with the main reason for the bill’s introduction being the rising concerns over threats aimed at university and college athletes.

DeWine further characterized these incidents as indicative of a systemic failure to regulate a form of betting that has expanded rapidly since Ohio legalized sports gambling in January 2023. He further argued that the “prop betting experiment” has failed to produce net benefits and called for immediate regulatory reforms.

DeWine‘s Concerns Have Been Raised Before  

As mentioned, the state legalized sports gambling two years ago, but concerns over the practice stem from he very beginning. The increase in targeted harassment led the governor to call for stricter regulatory oversight and propose budget adjustments under House Bill 33.

In response, the OCCC took action in February of the previous year to ban prop bets on collegiate sports. This regulatory change came after a letter from NCAA President Charlie Baker advocating for stronger protections for student-athletes. According to the updated rule, Ohio residents are no longer allowed to place individual player prop bets on college games. However, traditional wagers such as moneylines, point spreads, and over/under totals for college teams remain legal.

Despite these measures, no restrictions were imposed on prop bets related to professional sports at that time. Consequently, bettors in Ohio have continued to place a wide variety of wagers on individual player performances in leagues like the NFL and MLB.