Ohio Bill 971 Would Ban Online and Mobile Sports Betting, Cap Cash Wagers at $100

Ohio’s House received Bill 971 on July 1, a proposal that would wipe out online and mobile sports betting in the state and push wagering back to in-person bets at physical casinos. For PSPs, acquirers, and sportsbook operators, the interesting part is not the slogan on the cover sheet; it is the list of channels, bet types, payment methods, and ad formats the bill would take off the table.

1. Bill 971, formally introduced to the Ohio House of Representatives on July 1, is backed by ten Republican representatives and was previewed by its authors in April before entering the legislative process this week. The measure is branded the “Save Ohio Sports Act.”
2. If it advances, the bill would sharply roll back the sports-betting market Ohio legalized in 2023 by allowing only in-person betting at physical casinos. That means the online and mobile channel, which is usually the real volume engine, would be eliminated entirely in the state.
3. The proposal goes further than channel restrictions. It would ban in-play betting, parlays, bets on college sports, and player props. For operators, that is a fairly aggressive product cleanup: not just fewer places to bet, but fewer things to bet on.
4. It would also cap cash exposure for retail bettors at $100 per single wager and limit customers to eight bets in a 24-hour period. On the payments side, the bill would prohibit credit cards and other forms of borrowed funds for sports betting, which is the sort of restriction that can force a quick rework of deposits, approvals, and source-of-funds controls.
5. Advertising would take a hit as well. The text bans sports-betting ads during live broadcasts of professional sporting events and inside the venues where those events are played, which would directly affect sponsorship deals between betting operators and Ohio teams and leagues.

Newman said sports betting has become dominant in Ohio’s sports landscape, arguing that the state was exposed to gaming risks faster than residents expected. For high-risk payment teams, the practical question is simple: if the bill moves, Ohio stops being an online sportsbook market and becomes a much narrower retail-only one.