Ohio is often considered a political bellwether, so state lawmakers around the country may closely watch how its legislators vote on iGaming and iLottery. That’s especially true now that the majority of Ohio General Assembly members in a study commission recommended approval of online casinos and an online lottery.
On July 12, an Ohio Senator’s aide emailed Bonus a copy of the Report of the Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio. The findings from months of gaming study commission meetings had been due to the Ohio General Assembly by June 30.
The report showed four commission members recommended the Ohio General Assembly move forward on legalizing iGaming. Six believed the Buckeye State could benefit from an iLottery. (Five in favor of iLottery were in the General Assembly. However, commission member Michelle Gillcrist — the Ohio Lottery director — was the sixth person recommending iLottery’s passage.)
Recommendations were bipartisan, despite Republicans controlling Ohio’s Senate, House, and governor’s office.
In her recommendation that Ohio legalize iGaming and iLottery, state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, D-Westlake, wrote:
It is fair to assume that the evolution of society and advancement of technology will continue to drive innovation across the gaming industry. Faced with that reality, lawmakers should take a proactive approach and be prepared for the future of gaming in this state. Together, we can strike a balance that provides additional mental health resources, protects good-paying union jobs, and respects the Ohio businesses — from large casinos to small ‘mom and pop’ shops — that are essential to our communities.
Ohio, like many states, has legal online gambling. Although, while it launched legal sports betting on Jan. 1, 2023, it hasn’t yet approved Ohio online casinos and poker rooms.
That’s also true of two bordering states. Indiana and Kentucky offer legal online sportsbooks.
However, three other Ohio neighbors — Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia — offer legal online casinos and sports betting within their borders.
Almost all of the full-service online gambling states authorized both forms of wagering simultaneously. So, if Ohio legalizes iGaming after sports betting, states in similar situations may decide that “as Ohio goes, so goes the nation.”
Coincidentally, that saying that’s most often mentioned during presidential elections got more attention on July 15, because former President Donald Trump chose an Ohioan as his running mate. US Sen. J.D. Vance lives east of Cincinnati.
Ohio iGaming, iLottery ‘A Net Benefit’
In addition to Sweeney, three Republican lawmakers recommended their fellow lawmakers approve iGaming and iLottery.
In the 354-page-long report, Reps. Cindy Abrams, Jay Edwards, and Jeff LaRe wrote in a joint letter:
We believe that iLottery and iGaming could be a net benefit to the state of Ohio.
State Rep. Edwards, R-Nelsonville, was co-chairman of the gaming study commission, along with state Sen. Nathan H. Manning, R-North Ridgeville.
Manning wrote a separate letter to the Ohio General Assembly, recommending moving forward on iLottery. However, he said iGaming needed more vetting.
Study Commission Opposition to iGaming
Manning was joined by Republican Senator Al Landis and Democratic Senator William DeMora in opposing iGaming. However, Landis and DeMora also disapproved of iLottery.
If study commission members didn’t suggest iGaming needed more vetting before lawmakers considered authorizing legalization, those opposed to online casinos and poker rooms said they were worried about “cannibalization.”
Cannibalization is the word used to describe revenue losses when a competitor enters a marketplace. In the case of iGaming, opponents think consumers have a finite amount of discretionary income, and those who normally spend money at land-based casinos will instead gamble online. That will cost retail casino workers their jobs, they say.
DeMora said in the report:
Ohio has some of the premier casinos in the country, including Hollywood Casino-Columbus in my district. The casino gaming industry employs hundreds of people with good, union jobs. We cannot risk the position of these critical institutions by making them irrelevant, with Ohioans who want to gamble turning to their phones instead of supporting brick-and-mortar stores.
Sen. Terry Johnson didn’t include a letter in the report.
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