O
hio Governor Mike DeWine said it’s not a matter of “if” but rather “when” sports gambling will be legalized in Ohio. Asked about the state’s stance on sports gaming, DeWine said that it was “inevitable” that it would be legalized in Ohio.
“Sports gaming’s already in Ohio. Ohio’s just not regulating it,” DeWine said in a press briefing Monday, as reported by WKYC. “This is something that I think is inevitable. It’s coming to Ohio.”
It’s still unclear when Ohio will legalize sports gambling, just as bordering states Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana and West Virginia have in recent years. While a bill to legalize sporting gambling passed in the Ohio House last May, the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 election have since delayed the state’s timeline. While the Ohio Senate introduced its own sports gaming bill in March 2019, it hasn’t seen movement in more than a year.
“The members of the general assembly are working that process,” DeWine said. “I will have the opportunity to see what they came up with. I will have the opportunity to weigh in at the appropriate time. But sports gaming is certainly coming to Ohio.”
