Governor of Ohio Proposes Restriction on Wagering on Prop Bets Over Security Issues and Intimidation by Players
In a move aimed at safeguarding athlete safety and the integrity of sports, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has called on the state's Casino Control Commission to ban prop betting markets on professional sports. This decision comes in response to Major League Baseball's (MLB) suspension of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers amid a gambling investigation centered on prop bets.
DeWine's stance aligns with existing bans in more than a dozen states on college sports prop bets, and Ohio is now seeking to extend this ban to professional sports as well. The governor argues that prop betting harms athlete safety and the integrity of sports, and is urging sports leagues and players' unions to support this ban.
The NCAA has also been vocal about concerns regarding prop betting on college sports. More than 10 states, including Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania, have enacted bans specifically targeting college sports prop bets to protect athletes and game integrity. However, for professional sports, such bans are less uniform, with states generally allowing broader sports betting including prop markets but with a rising call for tighter regulations.
The investigation involving the two Cleveland Guardians players is ongoing within the MLB. The players are under scrutiny following suspicious prop betting in games they played last month. The specificity of these markets means that a single player controls the outcome, and the prop betting markets in question are micro-betting markets.
DeWine has expressed a particular gripe with these micro-betting markets, claiming that the "prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly." The governor has also mentioned the threats that athletes receive from bettors, although no further details about the nature of these threats have been disclosed.
As the MLB continues to probe issues with betting, other states may follow Ohio's lead in tightening regulations or banning prop bets entirely. The NCAA's request for states to safeguard college athletics specifically complements these efforts. DeWine will also call on player unions and commissioners of the six major sports leagues to support a ban on prop betting.
[1] Ohio Governor Calls for Ban on Prop Betting in Sports Amid MLB Investigation, The New York Times, August 2025. [2] Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Urges Ban on Prop Betting in Sports, ESPN, August 2025. [3] NCAA Urges States to Ban Prop Betting on College Games, The Washington Post, 2023. [4] Prop Betting Markets Under Scrutiny in Ohio, Sports Betting Dime, August 2025.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has expressed a desire to extend the existing ban on college sports prop bets to professional sports, following an investigation into prop betting in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the suspension of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers. DeWine argues that prop betting harms athlete safety and the integrity of sports, and is urging sports leagues, players' unions, and commissioners of the six major sports leagues to support a ban on prop betting, particularly micro-betting markets. The NCAA has also been vocal about concerns regarding prop betting on college sports, and more than 10 states have already enacted bans specifically targeting college sports prop bets.
