The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) has decided to prohibit betting on college sports, acceding to a request from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The OCCC's chief executive, Matt Schuler, received a letter from the NCAA's president, Charlie Baker, urging the restriction of bets on specific players. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine supported this request.
Effective immediately, bettors in Ohio will no longer be able to wager on individual players in college sports, including quarterbacks and NCAA basketball players. Bookmakers are required to implement these restrictions by March 1.
Ohio now joins 24 other states that have either imposed restrictions or entirely prohibited betting on student athletes and collegiate sports. The primary goal of this prohibition is to safeguard young NCAA athletes from potential exploitation by bettors and to mitigate the risks of match-fixing.
