Ohio lawmakers weigh online casino and lottery expansion in bid to boost state revenue

Ohio could soon see an expansion of its online gambling under new legislation introduced this week. A bill brought forward by Senator Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) proposes legalizing online casino games, poker, and lottery betting, in addition to the sports betting options already permitted in the state.

The proposal, introduced Tuesday, is set to be discussed publicly on Wednesday in the newly formed Senate Select Committee on Gaming. It aims to authorize Ohioans to wager on poker, slots, and lottery games using phones or laptops, effectively broadening the scope of legal online gaming across the state.

House Finance Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) confirmed last week that he is drafting a parallel bill focused on establishing a regulated iGaming framework in Ohio, highlighting its potential to create new revenue streams for the state.

As budget negotiations continue, Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) acknowledged the shifting public and political sentiment toward gambling. “I think there's a different tone and tenor about some of these things than maybe there was ten years ago,” McColley said. “A lot of times Ohioans want to have a little bit more choice as to how they spend their money and spend their recreational time.”

He added that discussions with the House are ongoing to interpret the “open-ended aspirational language” included in their version of the budget related to online gaming.

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) expressed a similar perspective, noting an acceptance of gambling as a state revenue tool. “In some sense, I think as a state we've sort of turned the corner and said, we're going to raise money from gambling,” Huffman said.

“People want services and they don't want to pay taxes. And how do you solve that conundrum? One way is raise revenue in a different way. And one is through gambling.”

Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) also voiced cautious support. “Certainly other states have shown us that when they take the dollars and they're distributed to programs that ordinarily are always underfunded, there's a helping there,” she said.

However, she emphasized that increased gambling access must be paired with sustained funding for mental health and addiction treatment services. “We can't have one without really thinking about the other.”

The possibility of expanding iGaming and iLottery in Ohio has been on the table since the last state budget, which established a commission to evaluate the issue. In a report published last July, three Republican legislators noted that states with legal iGaming or online lottery services reported substantial revenue gains from greater participation.

However, the report also urged caution to avoid negatively impacting Ohio’s existing network of four casinos and seven racinos, which could face reduced foot traffic as a result of expanded online options.