Is Online Casino Gambling on the Table in Ohio?

It's been very hard to get online casino gambling legislation passed in the U.S. That's clearly indicated by the fact only six (6) states have successfully gone through the process. With rumblings about online casino gambling having popped up in several states recently, word comes that online casino gambling is getting a bit of attention in Ohio.

What's Going on in Ohio?

In 2023, Ohioans officially got the right to place online and retail sports bets in the state of Ohio. At the time proper legislation was signed into law, no mention was made of the possibility of adding online casino gambling in the future. It's noteworthy that several retail casinos are already in operation across the state.

In recent months, a study commission has been meeting behind the scenes. The commission was charged with looking at the feasibility of allowing state residents to place casino bets online through online licensed operators. The result of the study was a 354-page report that seemingly lent support to the online casino gambling concept.

The commission was led by three (3) Republicans in the House. The names of those individuals are Reps. Jay Edwards, Jeff LaRe, and Cindy Abrams. Last week, the commission with these three (3) reps leading the way submitted a letter encouraging other lawmakers to give online casino gambling a serious look. In the letter, House and Senate members were told:

“While the state should proceed with caution and care with any expansion of this magnitude, with the right regulatory framework, these types of gaming can thrive with nominal impact to our current system.”

What Now?

While the key GOP members and others support the idea of online casino gambling in Ohio, they acknowledge there is underlying pushback coming from retail casino owners/operators and lottery providers. That is to be expected given their fear that the gaming revenues will get cannibalized as Ohio gambling enthusiasts choose to stay home and play online casino games of chance from their living rooms.

Committee members are quick to counter that they believe the passing of online casino gambling legislation would unlock the potential for significant tax revenue in the state's favor. They cited massive tax revenue gains in Connecticut and Michigan, two of the aforementioned states where online casino gambling is legal.

From the report: “While we understand their hesitation to expand due to an uncertain impact, we believe that iLottery and iGaming could be a net benefit to the state of Ohio. … These tax revenue benefits to the state and funding that could be provided to our K-12 education system cannot be overlooked.”

It's worth noting that on the Senate side, Sen. Nathan Manning believes the benefits make online casino gambling legislation worth a look. As co-chair of the committee, he felt good about the report but still came up just short of endorsing the idea. Other Senators are opposed to the idea.

At this point, there is nothing on the table. However, widening support for this report could open the door for something to happen in 2025.