The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is advancing a regulation that would prevent sports bettors in the state from using credit cards to fund their wagers, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the agency on Thursday.
This proposed rule has not yet been enacted. It must first navigate through Ohio's Common Sense Initiative and gain approval from the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review before it can take effect.
Currently, over a dozen online sportsbooks operate within Ohio, complicating the monitoring of individual spending habits across different platforms. Derek Longmeier, Executive Director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio, highlighted this challenge.
“A fundamental principle of responsible gambling is to only wager money that you actually possess,” Longmeier stated in an interview last Monday. “Using a credit card clearly contradicts this principle.”
In a related development, a coalition of conservative lawmakers has proposed legislation aimed at broader reforms in sports betting regulations, which includes a ban on online wagering. This initiative has garnered support from faith-based organizations and mental health advocates, although its chances of passing seem limited given the current legislative landscape.
When Ohio legalized sports betting in 2021, only 14 out of 132 lawmakers opposed the measure. Governor Mike DeWine has since referred to signing this legislation as his “biggest mistake.”
Ohio has shown concerning risk indicators even before the expansion of gambling. A survey conducted in 2022 revealed that one in five residents in Ohio are considered “at-risk” gamblers. Furthermore, calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline surged significantly in 2023, according to a report by WVXU.
If the new regulation is implemented, Ohio would join approximately six other states that have already established similar restrictions. States like Illinois and Tennessee currently prohibit the use of credit cards for sports betting transactions.