Ohio Senator Introduces Online Casino Bill

Residents of Ohio have access to lots of our best sportsbooks, but they don't have legal real money-online casinos. If one Senator has his way, that may change.

Senator Niraj Antani has introduced SB 312 to the Ohio Legislature to legalize online casino games. The Senator has introduced the measure ahead of a lame-duck session at the end of 2024. As Atani is term-limited, if lawmakers don’t discuss this bill in the lame-duck session, it will lose its sponsor for the 2025 session.

Commenting on the bill, Antani told local news, “As gaming has evolved in our state and we’ve seen massive success with sports betting, it’s now time to legalize igaming in Ohio. Many Ohioans don’t have close access to a casino or racino, but should be able to participate in this entertainment option. It’s time to bring igaming out of the black market, and into the sunshine to provide it safely to all Ohioans.”

The bill outlines that the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the current regulator of land-based casinos and online Ohio sports betting, would be given regulatory power over online casinos.

"I don't think that it's needed, but this is an entertainment option people want," said Antani. "People should be free to gamble if they want."

Proposes 15% Online Casino Tax

The online casino bill proposes that operators pay a $100,000 fee for applying, $300,000 for a licensing fee, and a $250,000 fee put towards a problem gambling fund. As a license would only last one year, operators would be expected to pay more than $500,000 annually to operate in Ohio.

SB 312 proposes a 15% tax on all games supplied by online casinos. This is a lower figure than what the state charges online sportsbooks. If lawmakers pass the bill, Ohio would become the only US state to charge its online sports betting operators higher taxes than online casino platforms.

Online sports betting launched in January 2023 and continues to grow, with its most recent online sportsbook launching in August. The number of Ohio sports betting apps continues to grow.

Responsible Gambling Considerations

While Antani is trying to garner support for the online casino bill, it has already faced opposition from responsible gambling groups. The Executive Director of Problem Gambling Network Ohio, Derek Longmeier, cited that one in five people in Ohio are at risk of developing a gambling problem. 

He said, “Since sports betting launched, those calls have been substantially higher than pre-sports betting, and we would expect that any further expansion would also result in more calls. The more opportunities there are to gamble, the more Ohioans will gamble and then the more Ohioans will need help as a result.”

Antani addressed these concerns as he announced the bill. He cited the $250,000 annual contribution to a problem gambling fund from online casino operators and measures included in the bill to make operators track problem gambling. 

"They will require these operators to sort of track people and to make sure nobody is sort of spiraling and betting too much beyond what they're capable," commented Antani.

Antani also noted that many players looking for online casinos find illegal options despite efforts across the US to shut down illegal options like Bovada and that there are plenty of Ohio sportsbook promos. He said, “Right now, it happens on the black market. We know that it happens on the black market, and that's not good.”

However, Longmeier expressed concerns that gambling addictions and problem gambling can lead to more severe consequences. 

"Right now with September, we're in Suicide Awareness Month and gambling has the highest connection to suicide than any other addiction," said Longmeier. "Many times we think of gambling harms as not that big of a deal, but it really can have life-changing impacts."