In Ohio, sports betting is already happening, argues Gov. Mike DeWine, who expects the legalization push to intensify during the 2021 legislative session.

Ohio Certainly to Regulate Sports Betting Says, Gov. Mike DeWine

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Monday that sports betting legalization is inevitably coming to the state. It has been years since the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA, but some states are still playing the role of stragglers.

Ohio is one of those, although Gov. DeWine argues that this would soon change. It’s a matter of “when,” DeWine added, saying that the gambling legalization push in Ohio has begun. 

He explained that sports betting was already in Ohio, but the state was not regulating it, leading to a thriving clandestine market that benefited offshore sportsbooks instead. Not just that, but Ohio was also losing revenue to other states.

Located next to legal betting jurisdictions such as Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, and Michigan, traveling from Ohio to one of those to bet isn’t too difficult at all when there are no alternatives at home. 

The state hoped to expedite a legislative move in 2020, but the timing coincided with a global pandemic that shifted priorities. 

Now that the country and state are trying to go back to normal, though, the governor is becoming more vocal about a matter that doesn’t involve as much political debate and can prove a valuable source of revenue for the state.

He confirmed that the general assembly members are already on the job, and he would look in with what they have come up with before long. In the meantime, Ohio Senate president Matt Huffman has already introduced a Committee on Gaming to help with the upcoming legislative push. 

Ohio’s lottery sales went up during the pandemic in 2020, with overall results increasing by 15%. This allows room to argue that mobile sports betting could be beneficial for the state.