Controversial Ohio Online Casino Efforts Likely Fruitless Until 2027

Legislative efforts to legalize online casino gambling in Ohio are likely to be unsuccessful until at least 2027.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, whose second term officially ends in January 2027, indicated in July 2025 that he unequivocally opposes online casinos.

“To put a casino in everyone’s hands, 24/7, is probably not a great idea,” DeWine told a group of reporters at the 2025 Ohio State Fair in Columbus. “It will probably cause more pain and suffering. I’m just not for it.

“I don’t usually use the v-word (veto), but I am very much against this,” DeWine added with a smirk. Reading between the lines: He would likely veto a bill if it reached his desk.

Legislation (HB 298 and SB 197) to legalize online casino gambling had a hearing in May 2025.

Despite DeWine’s comments, public discussion around online casinos may continue in the coming months and into 2026. Nonetheless, DeWine’s firm opposition means that Ohio online casino legalization probably won’t come until he’s out of office.

Parallels with MI Legalization

In 2019, Michigan became one of the first states to legalize online casinos. But the path to sanctioning the platforms wasn’t easy for the Michigan Legislature.

In 2018, then-Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, vetoed an online casino bill that reached his desk in his final weeks in office. Snyder said he rejected the 2018 bill because he didn’t want to make such a controversial policy decision as he was leaving office.

In short, Snyder said it was better to leave online casinos up to the next governor. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to legalize online casinos in December 2019.

For DeWine, like it was for Snyder, signing a controversial online casino bill in 2026 appears to be a no-go. 

In the meantime, some Ohio lawmakers will likely continue to work on legislation so it’s as ready as possible for the next governor. Ohio will elect a new governor in November 2026.

The favorite to be Ohio’s next governor is Vivek Ramaswamy, according to the gambling website Kalshi, which offers online gambling in the state through a federal loophole.

Illegal Ohio Online Casinos

Right now, Ohioans can use numerous illegal offshore casinos. These include so-called sweepstakes casinos and real-money casinos located in countries such as Curacao.

A simple online search of “Ohio online casinos” gives you a list of the following illegal operators:

These online casinos can cause immense harm to Ohioans and their communities.

Proponents of legalizing online casinos, such as DraftKings Casino, FanDuel Casino and BetMGM Casino, argue that doing so would deal a blow to the foreign online casinos.

That’s possible; however, legalizing online casinos may also expand the offshore market in parallel with the regulated one. More state-sanctioned gambling is bad policy.

Sanctioning certain online casinos in Ohio would also increase addiction.

The legalization of online casino gambling from the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel would allow for the widespread advertising of these harmful products in Ohio.

Ohio has already put its stamp of approval on online gambling in the form of sports betting. The same companies licensed for online sports betting would be eligible to seek approval to offer digital versions of casino games, such as blackjack and slots.

OH Online Casino Bill is Poor Policy

Gambling addiction is the main reason Ohio’s online casino legislation is a bad idea.

Here’s a quick rundown of why Ohio online casino legalization would be disastrous:

• Industry revenue mostly comes from people with addiction
• Nearly no online gamblers win in the long run
• Online sports betting addiction statistics are alarming
• Gambling sites harm almost three-quarters of frequent online bettors

Pending Ohio online casino legislation would allocate minimal funds to combat addiction.

Both SB 197 and HB 298 allocate only 1% of tax revenues from online casino gambling to problem gambling prevention and treatment funding.

SB 197 contains a weak consumer protection provision for self-imposed time and deposit limits.

An Ohio online casino would have a “default” deposit and wager limit of $500 per week. There would also be a default gambling time limit of five hours per week.

However, the online gambler could remove those default limits with a few clicks.

The Ohio legislation puts the onus on consumers to protect themselves from harmful and addictive products. The legislation relies on the controversial industry slogan “responsible gambling.”

The good news: Ohio Is First With State-Specific Free Online Betting Therapy