A new Ohio proposal would shut down mobile sportsbooks, slash popular bet types, and force players back to retail counters if it ever clears the legislature.
Mobile Betting Faces the Chopping Block
Ohio’s sports betting market could be in for a hard reset. House Bill 971, dubbed the Save Ohio Sports Act, has been introduced by Republican Reps. Johnathan Newman and Beth Lear with a blunt goal: end statewide online sports betting and keep legal wagers inside licensed retail casino locations.
That would be a major shift for Ohio players, who have grown used to placing bets from the couch, the bar, or the parking lot before kickoff. Under the bill, mobile sportsbook access would be tied to physical casino properties, which is a polite way of saying the apps would become far less useful for the average bettor.
Retail sportsbooks would survive, but the current app-first model would not. For operators, that is a headache. For casual players, it means fewer taps and more driving.
Parlays, Props, and Live Bets Would Be Gone
The bill does not stop at mobile betting. It also targets many of the markets that keep sportsbook apps buzzing during a game.
HB 971 would ban live in-game betting, player props, parlays, and all college sports wagering. Only single-game bets would remain legal, giving Ohio bettors a much thinner menu than they have now.
The proposal would also cap players at $100 per bet and no more than eight wagers in a 24-hour period. For high-volume bettors, that is a wall. For casual players, it is still a clear message from lawmakers: Ohio may want sports betting to feel less like an always-open arcade.
Lawmakers Say the Apps Went Too Far
Supporters of the bill argue that Ohio’s sports betting rollout has moved too fast and put too much temptation in people’s pockets. Newman has framed the issue around gambling harm and the use of betting tax revenue for public programs, while Lear has pointed to concerns about young people, mental health, and heavy gambling advertising.
The bill would also ban credit card funding for sports betting accounts and restrict sportsbook advertising in college venues and during live sporting events. That would hit both player acquisition and brand visibility, two things sportsbook companies tend to like very much, funny enough.
A Big Revenue Trade-Off
The catch is money, because of course it is. Ohio launched legal sports betting in January 2023, and the current system allows licensed online sportsbooks as well as brick-and-mortar betting locations. Online betting now drives nearly all of the action. Reports from Ohio’s market show mobile wagering accounting for around 98% of handle in recent periods, while sports betting taxes brought in nearly $210 million in 2025.
That means HB 971 would not merely change how people bet. It would likely cut deeply into the state’s sports betting tax stream unless retail sportsbooks somehow pull off a miracle comeback. Spoiler: they probably would not.
