Ohio’s Governor Regrets Ever Signing Sports Betting into Law

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has generally been an outspoken critic of gambling activities in the state, often positioning himself with the hawks who have called for tougher regulation. Now, the governor has expressed regret over allowing sports betting to take off in the first place.

Ohio’s Sports Gambling Business Is Rotten, Thinks Governor

In December 2021, Gov. DeWine signed House Bill 29 that established the gambling framework for sports in the Buckeye State, but the politician has now thought better of it. Gov. DeWine saw the recent issues with Major League Baseball and the involvement of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers as a good example of why sports gambling should not have been allowed to thrive.

“We’ve always had gambling, but 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,” Gov. DeWine rued in an interview with the Associated Press, adding that the state should have “absolutely” skipped on the opportunity to legalize sports gambling.

Yet, he did not offer any argument against the clear benefits the state has generated. First of all, Ohio has generated $500 million in tax revenue from the activity, and it has been able to turf out offshore gambling operators with the arrival of prominent local brands, such as Caesars, BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics.

Regrets Won’t See Sports Betting Go, But Changes to Framework Plausible

While banning sports gambling in Ohio may not be an option any longer, Gov. DeWine has remained optimistic that certain changes strengthening the integrity of sports games can be made.

For one, he has welcomed the MLB’s decision to ban micro and prop bets and has said that other leagues ought to follow suit at a time that both the NCAA and the NBA are rocked by their respective scandals.

The NCAA notably decided against overturning a prohibition that would have allowed student-athletes to bet on professional sports.