Ohio is looking to cut off credit cards for sports betting (Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for William Hill US)
Bettors in Ohio may soon lose the option to fund their sportsbook accounts with credit cards. The Ohio Casino Control Commission confirmed this week that it is advancing a rule to prohibit the practice statewide, though the change still has to clear two additional regulatory steps, including a review through Ohio’s Common Sense Initiative and sign off from the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, before it can take effect.
Part of what is driving the push is the sheer number of platforms operating in the state. With more than a dozen licensed online sportsbooks active in Ohio, tracking a single bettor’s spending across accounts has become increasingly difficult.
Derek Longmeier, Executive Director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio, pointed to this as a core concern, noting that using borrowed money undercuts one of the more basic principles of safer gambling. As he put it, bettors should stick to only spending money that you have.
The proposed rule follows growing scrutiny of the state’s betting market since it launched in 2021, when the legislation passed with just 14 of 132 lawmakers voting against it.
Governor Mike DeWine has since called signing that bill his biggest mistake. A separate group of conservative lawmakers has introduced legislation seeking to ban online sports betting outright, though that effort is not expected to gain much traction given the makeup of the current legislature.
Ohio has already shown signs of elevated risk among its residents. A 2022 survey found that one in five people in the state qualified as at-risk gamblers, and calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline climbed notably in 2023. If adopted, the credit card rule would put Ohio alongside roughly six other states, including Illinois and Tennessee, that already restrict credit card use for sports betting.