OSU Requests Changes to Ohio's Sports Betting Legislation

In a very interesting twist regarding sports betting legislation in Ohio, there has been a special request for the Ohio state legislature to put limits on what sports bettors can wager on. It's an interesting request because of where the request was issued. Remember, Governor Mike DeWine signed sports betting legislation into law late in 2021.

The request came from the administrative offices of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The author of the request was OSU Vice President for Government Affairs Stacy Rastaukas Bretherton. His request in writing was that the legislature place a prohibition on wagering related to all NCAA sports except basketball and football. It's an interesting request because of the prestige of Ohio State's basketball and football programs. He also requested the prohibition of proposition bets on all sports.

His letter read in part as follows: "Our concern is for the student-athlete. Allowing an in-game bet on a kick or a free throw can lead to very bad outcomes for the athlete regardless of his/her success due to the ability of angered bettors to anonymous threats and ridicule via social media platforms.”

The letter went on to suggest that perhaps college officials should not be allowed to wager on any sports.

To be clear, there is nothing particularly unusual about this request other than the source of it. There are plenty of states that have limitations related to betting on college sports.

For instance, the following states do not allow proposition bets on college sports: Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, and Tennessee. A total of 12 states currently have bans on wagers that involve in-state schools and college venues. Also, Oregon has a complete ban on all college sports wagering.

At this time, sports betting is scheduled to go live in Ohio no later than January 1, 2023. The timing is directed at making sure Ohio sports bettors will be able to wager on major college bowl games and the NFL playoffs, Super Bowl included.

The Sources of OSU's Concern

The story is a familiar one. For decades, sports betting was banned in the U.S. due to concerns over protecting the integrity of sports in the U.S. There were more than a few high-level sports league officials and pro team owners who were deeply concerned that legalized sports betting would open the door to bet fixing.

Those are the very same concerns that Ohio State officials expressed to the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC). The OCCC even went so far as to pass an internal resolution banning any of its committee members from placing any kind of sports wager.

Will the OCCC and state legislature make the requested changes? That remains to be seen. At issue is the fact Ohio State has many supporting sports fans for almost every sport. The idea that baseball fans would not be able to wager on Ohio State baseball versus Michigan seems a bit drastic.

There seems to compromise here. There is a real possibility the OCCC will say no to banning bets on other sports but yes to the ban on prop bets.