Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Calls for Ban on Individual Prop Bets in Pro Sports

^{Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohio should end prop betting on professional sports, following recent scandals in pro sports leagues. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster / AP)}

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has asked the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) to remove proposition bets on individual athletes from the list of legal wagers in the state, saying that such bets are harmful to both athletes and the integrity of sporting events.

The OCCC banned the offering of prop bets on collegiate sporting events in 2024 after NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote the commission urging it to do so.

Call for Ban Following Guardians Prop Bet Scandal

Gov. DeWine’s request would expand that prohibition to include all professional sporting events as well. DeWine urged commissioners and players’ unions in all major sports – including MLB, NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and MLS officials – to support such a ban. 

“The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass. First, there were threats on Ohio athletes, and now two high-profile Ohio professional athletes have been suspended by Major League Baseball as part of a ‘sports betting investigation,’” DeWine said in a press release. “The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly.”

The call from DeWine comes after two Cleveland Guardians players were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in the latest gambling scandal to hit professional sports in the United States.

While MLB officials have dealt with several gambling scandals in the past –  including the theft of $17 million from Shohei Ohtani by interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, on unregulated sports betting – none have posed the same direct threat to game integrity as the current investigation involving Guardians players.

Cleveland starting pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on leave on July 3 after MLB became aware of unusual wagering on two individual pitches he threw to begin innings during two games in June. Both were balls thrown well outside the strike zone. Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was also placed on leave in connection to the investigation later in the month.

Lawmakers: Microbetting Dangerous for Gamblers, Poses Integrity Threat

The fact that the investigation may hinge on just two pitches has intensified scrutiny of microbetting — a form of prop betting focused on small, in-game events, such as individual shot outcomes in basketball or single points in tennis.

Some lawmakers have proposed cracking down on microbetting rather than banning all prop bets. New Jersey Assemblyman Dan Hutchison (D-Camden) introduced a bill in July that would specifically prohibit microbetting at licensed sportsbooks in the state, arguing that they encourage unhealthy gambling habits and pose a unique threat to the integrity of sporting events. 

DeWine’s opposition to prop betting comes at a time when he has signaled that he thinks gambling has gone far enough in Ohio. 

In late July, Gov. DeWine made comments at the Ohio State Fair saying that he was against allowing online casinos in the state, despite the fact that multiple bills allowing for full iGaming had been introduced in the Ohio legislature this year. 

“To put a casino in everybody’s hands 24/7 I think is probably not a great idea, and I think it will cause more pain and suffering in regard to gaming addiction,” DeWine told reporters. “I think we probably have enough gambling in the state already.”