Gov. Mike DeWine said he’s watching ball games and seeing ads for betting operations that are illegal in Ohio.
And the governor said the state is doing something about it.
Polymarket, Robinhood, and Kalshi are some of the companies that offer bets based on sports predictions. Bettors can bet on one-off actions that athletes take during a game.
But that’s been illegal in Ohio since a 2005 law went into effect. Yet DeWine said he knows these companies are still trying to operate here in the Buckeye State because he sees their ads too.
“This is pure and simple gambling, and they are trying to get around any regulations. We have some, some regulations over gambling. Maybe not enough. But we have some. And these people are trying to get around it, and they are laughing at everybody.”
The Ohio Casino Control Commission has sent cease and desist letters to many of the companies, threatening to take further action. And DeWine says the state is not making an empty threat.
“The law is very clear. The court decisions have been very clear. The attorney general of Ohio is taking actions he needs to take. These are not self-executing. You have to actually go out and file these suits, and that’s what we are going to do.”
A federal court recently ruled that one of the companies, Kalshi, must follow the state law. But Kalshi said it must operate under federal, not state law. That ruling is being appealed.
Meanwhile, there are two bills in the Ohio Legislature to further crack down on prediction markets.
One (SB 479) would prohibit anyone from betting on elections and ban election-related bets from prediction market platforms. Another (SB 430) would establish that so-called sporting event contracts are a form of sports gambling to be regulated and taxed by the state. Neither of the Democrat sponsored bills has gained traction in the legislature.
