The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is moving forward with a rule that would prohibit sports bettors in the state from funding wagers with credit cards, according to a spokesperson for the agency who confirmed the development on Thursday.
The measure has not yet taken effect. Before implementation, it must pass through Ohio’s Common Sense Initiative and receive approval from the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review.
More than a dozen online sportsbooks currently operate in Ohio, a factor that has complicated efforts to monitor individual spending patterns across platforms, according to Derek Longmeier, Executive Director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio.
“One of the cardinal rules of gambling, at low risk, is only spending money that you have,” Longmeier said in an interview last Monday. “If you’re putting money on a credit card, then obviously, that goes beyond that.”
Legislative reform push unlikely to advance
Separately, a group of conservative state lawmakers has introduced a bill calling for broader changes to sports betting regulations, including a prohibition on online wagering. Faith-based organizations and mental health advocates backed the proposed legislation. However, those bills face limited prospects of passage given the composition of the current legislature.
When Ohio legalized sports betting in 2021, only 14 of 132 state lawmakers voted against the measure. Gov. Mike DeWine has since described signing that legislation as his “biggest mistake.”
Data points to rising gambling concerns
Ohio shows measurable risk indicators predating the expansion of gambling in the state. A 2022 survey found that one in five Ohio residents qualify as “at-risk” gamblers. Calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline increased significantly in 2023, according to a report from WVXU.
Ohio would join a group of roughly six states that have already enacted similar prohibitions if the rule takes effect. Illinois and Tennessee are among the states that currently ban credit card use for sports betting transactions.