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Prop betting has seen a meteoric rise in popularity in recent years, especially with the increase in legal online sports betting across the majority of states in the country. Some states don't allow prop bets, however, and Ohio sports betting may be the next to join that list. Gov. Mike DeWine has requested a ban on prop wagers and the Ohio Casino Gaming Commission is doing research to determine possible next steps.

DeWine's call for removing prop bets from Ohio sports betting comes after two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were recently suspended for potentially breaking MLB betting rules in relation irregular betting activity related to prop bets centered around whether the first pitch of an inning they were pitching would be a ball or strike. Ohio already has reduced the scope of prop betting in the state as it removed prop bets on college athletics in February of 2024. There are eight professional sports teams in Ohio: Cincinnati Bengals (NFL), Cleveland Browns (NFL), Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA), Cincinnati Reds (MLB), Guardians (MLB), Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL), Columbus Crew (MLS) and FC Cincinnati (MLS).

Ohio launched sports betting in 2023, and DeWine has dramatically changed the landscape in the state basically since it began. Roughly one month after it launched, DeWine called for the sports betting tax to double from 10% to 20%, which passed and went into effect. This year, DeWine pushed to increase the sports betting tax once again from 20% to 40% with an emphasis on using the increased tax dollars to fund stadiums and local athletic facilities. That proposal was ultimately removed from the state's 2026-27 budget, but one state Senator pushed for a handle tax, so the issue is unlikely to go away any time soon. Ohio sportsbooks paid $180 million in taxes in 2024.

While removing prop betting could assist in reducing illicit activity with professional athletes like the two Guardians pitchers, it will have an inverse effect on DeWine's push to help maximize the amount of tax dollars the state of Ohio receives from sports betting. It's unclear just how many sports bets in the U.S. are prop bets, but given there are pregame bets as well as live betting opportunities at different sportsbooks, it may be half of all wagers, if not more.