Ohio Lawmakers Say College Player Prop Ban Was ‘Not Needed’

Online sportsbooks in Ohio are prohibited from offering college player prop-betting lines in the state. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) banned college player props in February in response to the NCAA’s call for states to prohibit the wager type. However, some lawmakers in Ohio are against the choice and have voiced their opinions in a new report.

Ohio Study Commission Opposes College Player Prop Ban

The Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio consists of several lawmakers in the House and Senate. Study commission members believe that the decision to ban college player prop betting fails to solve the issue it intended. Republican House Reps. Jay Edwards, Jeff LaRe, and Cindy Abrams wrote this regarding the player prop ban:

“In February of 2024, by request of the NCAA, the OCCC implemented a policy that banned proposition ‘prop’ betting on individual college athlete performances. While we understand the circumstances in which this decision was made, we believe it is one that was not needed. With the current landscape of collegiate athletics and NIL, players are now being paid to play (and perform) in certain sports. That is no different than any other professional sport (i.e., NFL, NBA, or MLB). And with professional sports, any individual can go on DraftKings or FanDuel to place a prop-bet on any athlete.”

The study commission is calling for the OCCC to rescind the policy and allow Ohio sportsbooks to offer college player props again. Even with the issue of player harassment, lawmakers do not think that a ban is the solution. According to the study commission, the OCCC is looking to solve the problem without addressing it.

Commission Opposes Sports Betting Tax Increase

The study commission is also critical of Ohio’s decision to increase the sports betting tax rate. Ohio raised its sports betting tax rate from 10% to 20%, and the commission deemed it premature. Sportsbooks were only live for a few months before Ohio passed the HB 33 annual budget, increasing the tax rate on gross gaming revenue (GGR).

“Sports gaming had just kicked off six months earlier and the General Assembly implemented a substantial tax increase on sports gaming companies who had already invested millions of dollars into kickstarting the industry in Ohio,” wrote the three representatives. “This hampered the growth that was occurring and made other companies think twice about coming to Ohio to invest.”

Time will tell if the commission’s recommendations will lead to further changes in Ohio sports betting.