Governor DeWine Calls on Casino Control Commission to Remove Prop Bets Following MLB Investigation, Previous Player Threats

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today called on the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) to remove prop bets from the list of legal bets that can be placed under Ohio's contractual rules for operators. The Governor’s request comes after Major League Baseball (MLB) announced it placed two Cleveland Guardians pitchers on leave related to a “sports betting investigation.” The Governor also previously expressed concerns about prop betting following threats to collegiate athletes at the University of Dayton.

Governor DeWine also announced that he will be asking the commissioners and players unions of the six major sports leagues in the United States–MLB, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer– to support this effort to ban prop betting to ensure the integrity of their leagues.

Governor DeWine noted a particular problem with micro prop bets–prop bets on highly specific events within games that are completely controlled by one player.

“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,’” said Governor DeWine. “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. I call on the Casino Control Commission to correct this problem and remove all prop bets from the Ohio marketplace.”

Governor DeWine spoke out against threats that began to emerge shortly after Ohio’s sports gambling laws became effective in January 2023. Threats against the University of Dayton Flyers basketball players and players from other teams emerged and brought focus to this conduct occurring in Ohio. Governor DeWine sought changes in the biennial budget bill, House Bill 33, which addressed some marketplace issues.

Following a letter from NCAA President Charlie Baker in January 2024, the OCCC enacted rules in February 2024 that removed collegiate prop bets from the list of legal bets that can be placed under Ohio’s contractual rules for operators. Under the enacted changes, bettors in Ohio are now no longer able to place prop bets on individual player achievements, including in-game statistics and in-game achievements for collegiate sporting contests. Bettors were still permitted to place bets on the overall outcomes and final scores of collegiate sports contests, including outright winners, over/under total team points bets, and bets against the spread.

The enacted rule changes did not affect professional sports contests, and bettors in Ohio can still place prop bets on professional sports contests. 

On July 3^rd, MLB announced that it placed Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave through the All-Star break due to a league investigation. On July 18^th, MLB extended Ortiz’s leave of absence through August 31^st. On July 28^th, MLB also announced that it placed Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave through August 31^st as part of a related “sports betting investigation.” Multiple media reports have alleged the investigation follows allegations of unusual prop betting activity in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio during Guardians games in June.