Ohio Governor Regrets Signing Bill Legalizing Sports Betting in the State

When asked about mistakes he regrets from his 7-year tenure as Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine says approving the legislation that legalized sports gambling in the state ranks as his biggest regret.

Governor DeWine Regrets Allowing Sports Betting

DeWine signed a bill in December 2021 that legalized sports gambling across the state, with betting launching in January 2023. Backed by an aggressive advertising push from sports gaming companies, Ohioans bet $7.7 billion on sports in 2023, followed by nearly $8.9 billion in 2024. In November of 2025, the state’s sports betting market once again recorded impressive growth, with platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings leading the way.

However, this fast rise in popularity of the activity has led to many problems, DeWine said. According to him, many young men have become addicted to sports betting. According to the governor, Ohio has spent several million dollars helping residents who have developed such addictions.

DeWine said that, looking back at it, he shouldn’t have signed the legislation permitting sports betting in the state and feels responsible for the rise in problem betting behavior in the state. He explained that when he signed the bill, he did not expect that companies would do so much advertising. DeWine also said he didn’t know that mobile sports betting would be so widespread and easy to reach.

The Governor Is Working to Fix His Mistake

This isn’t the first time that Governor DeWine has talked against sports betting. Following several college baseball scandals last autumn, DeWine said he shouldn’t have signed the bill. Back then, he also talked about the impact that proposition, or “prop,” bets have had in the sports scene as a whole. 

However, after talking with Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, DeWine said he was convinced that the better approach was to allow professional sports leagues to establish their own nationwide restrictions. One thing the MLB agreed on with sports betting companies was to restrict betting on individual pitches and capping “microprop” wagers at $200.

While this was a compromise, DeWIne explained that it’s still better than nothing. Since then, DeWine has been urging the National Football League and other professional sports leagues to follow suit.

Even if additional leagues take steps on their own, DeWine has said he would still approve legislation banning prop bets in Ohio. So far, state lawmakers have given no sign they are prepared to pass new sports-betting restrictions before DeWine leaves office early next year.

Last year, Ohio legislators briefly considered legalizing other forms of online gambling and lottery games to help fund a state income-tax cut. However, facing opposition from DeWine and several key lawmakers, they ultimately financed the tax cut through a mix of spending reductions and the elimination of certain state taxes.