New Ohio iGaming Bill Filed
With only five session dates remaining on the Ohio General Assembly’s 2024 calendar, the bill is unlikely to pass this year but could set the stage for future discussions in 2025.
Ohio lawmakers reignited the conversation around legalizing online casinos on Sept. 4, when Senator Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) introduced a last-minute bill, SB312. With only five session dates remaining on the Ohio General Assembly’s 2024 calendar, the bill is unlikely to pass this year but could set the stage for future discussions in 2025.
The 146-page bill notably excludes iLottery, a key recommendation from the Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio, which spent months analyzing the issue and hearing testimony. In July, the commission urged legislators to approve both iGaming and iLottery.
Although Antani was not part of the study commission, he is no stranger to the gambling debate. Back on Nov. 21, 2023, he introduced SB190, aimed at “reducing the sports gaming tax rate from 20% to 10%.” That bill stalled in the Senate Finance Committee in December.
When Ohio sports betting launched on Jan. 1, 2023, the tax rate was initially set at 10%, but Governor Mike DeWine pushed it to 20% by July 1, 2023. Since the sportsbooks went live, Ohio has generated $231,971,124 in tax revenue as of the Sept. 5 NFL kickoff, according to Legal Sports Report.
The potential for even more tax revenue is a major reason why the study commission has recommended lawmakers pursue iGaming and iLottery in 2025, although no specific online casino tax rate has been suggested.
State Sen. Nathan H. Manning, co-chair of the study commission, did not respond to a Sept. 5 request for comment on SB312. However, he told Play USA on Sept. 4 that Antani’s bill is unlikely to "move this late in the session."
iGaming Bill Proposes Changes to Sports Betting Law
Antani’s proposal seeks to amend Ohio’s current retail casino and sports betting laws to include iGaming. It would give the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) the authority to regulate online casinos just as it does for retail casinos and sports betting.
One notable feature of the bill is that Ohio retail casinos could automatically offer any slot or table game approved by regulators in Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia. This would allow Ohio’s online casino operators to launch with a broad catalog of games.
Antani’s bill proposes a 15% tax rate for online casinos, which is lower than what other lawmakers are likely to propose in 2025.
The key highlights of SB312 include:
- $100,000 application fee
- $300,000 one-year permit fee, with $250,000 for renewals
- $250,000 problem gambling fund fee, which remains the same for renewals
The bill defines “internet casino gaming” as including slots and table games but excludes bingo and skill games. It also does not address multi-jurisdictional online poker play, which is currently allowed in states like Delaware, Michigan, and New Jersey.
While SB312 may not move forward this year, it marks an important step toward shaping Ohio’s future in iGaming.
