Ohio Governor Calls For End of Prop Betting in Buckeye State

• Gov. Mike DeWine today has called for an end of prop betting in Ohio
• The governor has officially requested the Ohio Casino Control Commission prohibit prop bets in Buckeye State
• Points to the recent Guardians pitchers being placed on leave related to a sports betting investigation as reason for prohibition

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has seen enough of prop betting in the Buckeye State.

Gov. DeWine today officially called on the Ohio Casino Control Commission to remove prop betting markets from Ohio following an MLB investigation into two Guardians pitchers and threats to players from sports bettors.

He also announced he will be asking the commissioners and players unions of the six major sports leagues in the U.S. to support his efforts to ban the prop betting markets.

Prop Bets Have Failed Ohio

Gov. DeWine pointed to micro prop-bets on highly controllable moments within a game that can be influenced by a single athlete as particularly troublesome.

“The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass. First, there were threats on Ohio athletes, and now two high-profile Ohio professional athletes have been suspended by Major League Baseball as part of a ‘sports betting investigation,'” DeWine said. “The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly. I call on the Casino Control Commission to correct this problem and remove all prop bets from the Ohio marketplace.”

The harm hits close to home, as just this past month the Cleveland Guardians placed two separate pitchers on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of an MLB sports betting investigation.

The Guardians first placed starting pitcher Luis Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 3, followed by all-star closer Emmanuel Clase being placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 28.

Both will remain on leave through Aug. 31.

A firm that monitors betting activity reported suspicious wagering on two separate pitches thrown by Ortiz during two games he started. No details have yet been released as to why Clase is now being included in the investigation.

The firm noted suspicious betting volumes on two separate pitches during his June 15 and June 27 starts against the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. Both were balls and thrown well outside the strike zone.

Larger than normal amounts of money were placed on whether Ortiz would throw a strike or ball in a certain inning.

Sports Betting Dime has reached out the Ohio Casino Control Commission for comment on Gov. DeWine’s request and will update this story if it is returned.

The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass. A particular problem is with micro prop bets – prop bets on highly specific events within games that are completely controlled by one player.

More: https://t.co/L2hpuPWOcl pic.twitter.com/FGZUh7nshT

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) July 31, 2025

Threats to Athletes Are Concerning

In addition to ensuring the integrity of outcomes, Gov. DeWine pointed to the ever increasing number of threats to athletes from sports betting customers. Ohio was one of the first states to completely prohibit college player prop bets in February 2024 after NCAA President Charlie Baker requested the ban.

Ohio Casino Control Commission Executive Director Matt Schuler called for the prohibition in January 2023 after he became aware of several incidents of state bettors threatening members of the University of Dayton’s men’s basketball team. The official provision went into effect in July after it was included in finalized Ohio 2024-2025 fiscal year budget.

The incident Schuler addressed came from a January basketball game involving the Dayton Flyers. As reported by Cincinnati.com, Head Coach Anthony Grant called out individuals who threatened members of his roster after the team lost 63-62 to Virginia Commonwealth after leading by 14 at halftime.