Ohio's governor opposes iGaming legalization

• Ohio’s governor has said that he is not in favor of iGaming legalization, citing online casinos specifically
• The governor fears that legalizing this vertical would fuel irresponsible gambling and addiction
• DeWine is cautious about issuing a veto against an online gambling bill, but he is still likely to decide against such legalization

Following the boom in sports betting, more moderate but similarly consistent efforts have been made to introduce a legal form of online casinos. Most of these efforts have come to a cropper, but some are succeeding and gaining headway.

Ohio’s governor voices firm opposition against online casinos

Ohio, though, may be a state where online casinos are a tough sell, not only because lawmakers are hesitant, but also because the final hurdle may prove difficult to cleave, with state Governor Mike DeWine saying last week that he would oppose an online casino measure.

He was blunt about his objection and motivation to block any effort that seeks to introduce a framework where casinos become accessible to everyone, round-the-clock.

"To put a casino in everybody’s hands, 24/7, I think, is probably not a great idea. And I think it will cause more pain and suffering in regards to addiction as far as gambling addiction," the governor said in a statement, cited by local media.

He also cautioned that while he was adamant about opposing proposals that made it out of the legislature, he was not entirely sure if he would veto such a proposal in the end.

There was a very good possibility that he would, however, as he said that he did not throw around the "V word" all that often, but he was very much against online casinos, "so…" Yet not everyone sees eye to eye with the governor.

Rep. Brian Stewart, who is a sponsor in the House of Representatives of a piece of legislation, has argued his case thus: the state already features all forms of gambling – slots, tables, and online. Why would this not be extended towards online casino games?

Beyond doubt about consumer protection and addiction, another issue that continues to come up is that the state may not be ready to host online casinos. The land-based casino sector is sprawling and heavily dependent on footfall on its gaming floors.

No, online casinos will not hurt land-based footfall

However, these fears have been mostly overblown, as confirmed by industry insiders themselves. Boyd Gaming’s Ryan Soultz has already told lawmakers that the company, which has 28 properties across 11 states that already feature online casinos, has not seen its results negatively impacted.

Instead of trying to suffocate innovation, it would be far better to adapt and evolve, Soultz said, adding that if online casinos were any bad for the land-based sector, Boyd would be among the first to oppose it.

However, overcoming fears over addiction and compounded social issues is indeed harder to tackle.

Although the National Council on Problem Gambling has said that the number of players spending beyond their means is going down, the fact remains that other similar sources worry that there could be too many affected by mass gambling legalization already.

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