Mike DeWine Regrets Ohio Sports Betting Legalization

The legalization of Ohio sports betting will celebrate the third anniversary since its launch this January. As the state approaches this milestone, Governor Mike DeWine would like the world to know that he wishes…he could undo it.

“Ohio shouldn’t have done it,” DeWine said in a recent interview with the Associated Press’ Julie Carr Smyth.

These sentiments have caused quite a stir through the industry. They also aren’t totally unexpected. Ohio is navigating the fallout of its own sports betting scandal involving two members of the Cleveland Guardians MLB team. Any time a major issue crops up, key officials can rethink their original position on the chain of events that led to it. Sometimes, they will walk back their comments at a later date.

However, this does not feel like one of those times.

Why Mike DeWine Regrets Ohio Sports Betting Legalization

DeWine did not leave his comments with a cliffhanger. He expounded upon his concerns about sports betting in Ohio to Smyth:

“‘Look, we’ve always had gambling, we’re always going to have gambling. But just 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 of them.’ DeWine said Ohio lawmakers didn’t anticipate the consequences and ramifications of a world in which placing a beat is as easy as ordering an Uber.”

This explanation rings incredibly true. The ease with which people can access online sports betting in the United States is unlike anything anyone could have imagined. Placing wagers can be done in a matter of seconds, from anywhere. Sportsbooks advertisements even have interactive integrations. For example, you can scan an on-screen code or click on an in-game ad and be brought right to a betslip you can almost immediately submit.

On top of that, exposure to Ohio sports betting—and sports betting at large—is happening at an incredibly young age. Not everyone in high school and college is gambling, though multiple surveys suggest the numbers are on the rise. Universities have partnerships with online sportsbooks. Student-athletes are being surrounded by sports betting promotions. This says nothing of the money actually bet on college sports.

Some estimates suggest that as much as 50 percent of betting on college football at certain sportsbooks is related to prop or micro bets on individual players. This has increased the harassment culture, particularly on social media. Aggrieved bettors will take to social media, and tag athletes or slide into their direction messages with obscenities because they didn’t hit a parlay or certain wager.

Governor DeWine is Also Correct About the Future of Sports Betting

Even if you are pro-sports betting (great!), you can’t deny the legitimate issues at play. DeWine raises real points. He also touches upon another important reality: “We’re always going to have gambling.” This is too spot-on.

Sports betting isn’t going anywhere. It was a billion-dollar industry before it was ever legal. States are not suddenly going to punt on the tax revenue they are generating.

This includes the Ohio sports betting market. Since launching in January 2023, The Buckeye State has secured over $550 million in tax revenue from sports betting. By the end of 2025, the three-year total will be north of $600 million—an average of over $200 million per 12 months.

Ohio is not walking away from that. Nor is the New York sports betting market walking away from the $1 billion in tax revenue they garner each year. This list goes on. And on. Sports betting is here to stay, because it’s too lucrative. Plain and simple.

Still, this doesn’t mean more guardrails can’t be put in place. Some states, such as Massachusetts, are already trying. But it remains to be seen when or if we will reach a tipping point that prompts many others to follow suit.

An Uprising of Sorts Could Be Imminent

It would be wildly premature to say that DeWine’s regret mirrors that of every state official. At the same time, it is not exactly anomalous.

Prior to DeWine making his comments, Senator John Keenan of Massachusetts expressed his own deep regret about the legalization of sports betting in his state. His sentiments, like DeWine’s, do not appear to be situational. Senator Keenan has been trying for some time to increase the restrictions on sportsbooks operating in Massachusetts.

While these two officials may be the first high-profile individuals to put forth such emphatic opinions, they are by no means going to be the last. If anything, we should expect their sentiments to be more frequently echoed.

Think about it: For so long, the sports betting industry represented uncharted territory. In the grand scheme of things, it is still new. Legal sports betting has yet to be around for even a decade.

And yet, if the Ohio sports betting market is already recognizing red flags after less than three years, think of what that means for more veteran markets.

A state like Illinois seems to be traveling down this same path. They have significantly hiked taxes on sportsbooks. Now, the city of Chicago is attempting to implement its own, separate tax.

Fallout concerns are also influencing states that have yet to legalize sports betting. Places like Georgia, Texas and California would also be lucrative markets. But legislators are so far reluctant to push initiatives over the hump in part because of what states like Ohio are reckoning now.

Make no bones about it, Ohio sports betting is here to stay. This goes for every other state in which it’s legal, too. And when done responsibly, sports betting can be enjoyable. But the more time passes, the more it becomes clear “responsibly” isn’t the default.

States will eventually have to reconcile that with major recalibrations. And who knows, at this rate, given DeWine’s comments, Ohio could be among the first to do so.

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