Poker Writer
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine now says he regrets having backed the legalization of sports betting in the Buckeye State in light of recent sports betting scandals. DeWine has been the governor of Ohio since 2019 and signed a bill in 2021 to legalize sports betting in the state. After that, sports betting officially became legal in Ohio on Jan. 1, 2023.
Gov. DeWine told the Associated Press last week:
Look, we’ve always had gambling, we’re always going to have gambling. But just the power of these companies and the deep, deep, deep pockets they have to advertise and do everything they can to get someone to place that bet is really different once you have legalization of them.
Reaction to Local Scandal
Multiple sports betting scandals are hitting the news seemingly weekly around the U.S. and even the world. Gov. DeWine’s most recent comments likely come in reaction to Ohio’s own sports betting scandal. Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted in a scheme to rig individual pitches during MLB games, reportedly for as little as a few thousands dollars.
In a response to that story, Gov. DeWine was a key figure in negotiations between MLB and gaming operators. Stakeholders ultimately settled on capping prop bets on individual pitches to $200 and excluding them from parlays.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred thanked Gov. DeWine for his role in the negotiations.
Gov. DeWine really did a huge service, I think — to us, certainly, I can’t speak for any of the other sports — in terms of kind of bringing forward the need to do something in this area.
The 78-year-old governor is now a major proponent against sports betting. He wants to expand these limits on prop bets and “micro-bets” (wagers on tiny slices of the game action) to other sports and other leagues.
It needs to be holistic, it needs to be universal. They’re just playing with fire. I mean, they are just asking for more and more trouble, their failure to address this.
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