Ohio governor’s race will decide whether regulated online casinos move forward

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine leaves office on January 11, 2027, and his successor will inherit a decision that has been sitting on the shelf for more than a year: whether the state moves ahead with legalizing regulated online casinos. For PSPs and operators, the next governor is effectively the gatekeeper for a market that has already shown it can legalize sports betting, tax it harder, and then argue about the rate all over again.

1. According to Cleveland.com, Democratic candidate Amy Acton is open to a responsible expansion of online gambling. Her spokesperson, Addie Bullock, said the idea is meant to increase state revenue and fund priorities such as public schools, child care, and property tax relief.
2. Acton also supports some restrictions on microbets, which is a sensitive issue in Ohio after the controversy around individual bets tied to two Cleveland Guardians pitchers. She does not support a statewide ban on special bets or any new increase in the sports betting tax.
3. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy did not respond to Cleveland.com’s questions and has not publicly taken a position on online gambling or sports betting. The third candidate, libertarian Don Kissick, also backs legalization of online gambling, but none of the polls, media outlets, or prediction markets give him a realistic chance of winning.
4. The race between the two main candidates is close. On Kalshi, three months before the November 3 election, Ramaswamy was priced at 52% and Acton at 49%, which is effectively a dead heat. Before March, Republicans had led consistently, but the numbers shifted over the last five months. On PredictIt, Acton has a slight edge at 51% to 49% for Ramaswamy, based on data recorded through Monday.
5. Ohio came close to advancing online casino legalization in May 2025, when lawmakers introduced bills in both the state Senate and House. Neither moved forward. In July 2025, DeWine said he would not sign any online casino bill during his term, pushing the issue into the hands of the next governor in 2027. That same governor had already signed off on sports betting, then became one of its sharpest critics, said he regretted signing it last year, and successfully pushed the sports betting tax from 10% to 20%. He also tried to raise it again to 40%, but that proposal ran into strong opposition and stalled.

For high-risk payment players, the point is simple: Ohio is not a theoretical discussion. It already has the legislative scaffolding, a live political split, and a governor’s office that has shown it can swing from approval to pushback fast. If online casinos do get another run, the state’s approach to tax rates and restrictions will matter as much as legalization itself.