Ohio lawmakers want to make big changes to the state’s sports betting market. A new package called the Save Ohio Sports Act would ban online sports betting, limit wagering to the state’s four full casinos, and add new rules on bet size, bet frequency and the kinds of bets people can place.
The proposal would be a rare step backward for a large US betting market after legalization. Ohio launched legal sports betting in January 2023, and mobile betting quickly became the biggest part of the business. In 2025, bettors in the state wagered more than $10.3 billion, with online sportsbooks generating about $205.1 million of the state’s more than $209 million in sports betting tax revenue.
Online betting would end under the plan
If the bills pass, online sports betting would shut down across Ohio. Betting would still be allowed in person, but only at the four full casinos in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. That would remove mobile apps, racinos and stadium-area sportsbooks from the market, even though mobile platforms now handle most bets placed in the state.
The plan also adds strict betting limits. Each bet would be capped at $100. Bettors would be limited to eight wagers in a 24-hour period. Credit card betting would be banned, and operators would no longer be allowed to offer free bets or similar promotions.
College betting and common wager types would also be banned
The package goes beyond online betting. It would also ban betting on college sports, along with parlays, prop bets and in-game wagers. Supporters say those changes are aimed at reducing addiction risk and easing concerns about sports integrity.
The political backdrop has also shifted. Governor Mike DeWine said late last year that he regretted signing Ohio’s sports betting law, and he has since supported stricter limits on certain bet types, especially prop bets.
The changes would hit a market built on mobile play
Ohio’s betting market depends heavily on online wagering. In-person betting makes up only a small part of total handle, so a return to casino-only betting would sharply reduce access and could cut into tax revenue that now goes mostly to K-12 education, with a smaller share going to problem gambling programs. For now, the bills are still proposals. Even so, they show how quickly the mood can change in a state that only recently embraced legal sports betting.
