Ohio Republicans Voice Support for iGaming, iLottery After Serving on Gaming Study Panel

Posted on: July 16, 2024, 09:07h. 

Last updated on: September 1, 2024, 10:56h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Several Republican state lawmakers in Ohio have voiced their support for the legalization of online casino gambling and internet lottery gaming after serving for three months on a study commission tasked with considering the future of the gaming industry in the Buckeye State.

Ohio online casino lottery gambling
Vinny Nyhan, owner of Vinny’s Bay & Grille in Moraine, stands in front of his lottery board displaying winning tickets sold at his small business. Some Republican lawmakers want to expand the Ohio Lottery to the internet, but others think that might hurt lottery retailers like Nyhan. (Image: Dayton Daily News)

Ohio Reps. Jay Edwards (R-Athens), Jeff LaRe (R-Violet), and Cindy Abrams (R-Hamilton) were three of the eight state lawmakers appointed to the Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio. Edwards co-chaired the study panel with Sen. Nathan Manning (R-Lorain).

The study commission held four meetings on February 20, March 19, March 20, and April 11 during which time the state’s gaming interests provided testimony on whether the state should or shouldn’t expand gambling to the internet. Currently, only online sports betting is allowed.

Following hours of testimony provided both in-person and through submitted letters, Edwards, LaRe, and Abrams concluded that legalizing iGaming and iLottery is in the state’s and consumers’ best interests.

The Ohio legislative session runs through the end of the year.

Online Gaming Support

The three House Republicans wrote the General Assembly that the state should expand commercial casinos and lottery gaming to the internet in a regulated environment. Edwards, LaRe, and Abrams acknowledged in their letter some pushback from the state’s current brick-and-mortar casinos, most notably from Jack Entertainment, which operates two gaming properties in the Cleveland metro area, but believe such expansion is warranted.

While we understand their hesitation to expand due to an uncertain impact, we believe that iLottery and iGaming could be a net benefit to the state of Ohio. Looking at other states that have implemented either or both iLottery and iGaming, we see significant increases to tax revenues generated with greater participation but also that in-person sales continued to increase,” the Republicans wrote.

Currently, only seven states permit online slot machines and table games: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The three lawmakers cited ongoing iGaming gross gaming revenue increases in those states while in-person play grows, albeit at a slower rate.

The representatives said that while they support iGaming, any implementation “must not come at a cost” to the state’s current casinos and racinos that employ thousands of Ohioans.  

Online lottery sales and/or instant gameplays are offered in just nine states: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Dakota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Washington, DC, allows iLottery, too.

The Ohio Republicans supportive of iLottery say allowing online gameplay has only supplemented lottery sales and increased revenue for the programs they benefit.

The trio of Republicans was joined by Rep. Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) in supporting iGaming and iLottery, though she urged that it must be done in a way that doesn’t negatively impact brick-and-mortar casinos or lottery retailers.

“The reality is that many other states are moving in this direction and Ohioans are already using the illicit market. Lawmakers should accept that it is very likely that these expansions are only a matter of time and move forward in the best interest of the State of Ohio. As technology evolves and society progresses, so too should our laws,” Sweeney wrote.

Panel Not Unified

Other lawmakers serving on the Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio weren’t so sure iGaming and iLottery are needed, at least at this juncture. Manning said Ohio “must proceed with caution” in discussing such gambling, as the verticals “potentially have more addictive qualities.”

State Sen. Al Landis (R-Dover) said his position “is to maintain the status quo and keep the brick-and-mortar sites rather than have the state expand into iLottery and other forms of virtual gaming.” Landis also cited addiction concerns as his primary reason for opposition.

State Sen. William DeMora (D-Columbus) also opposed online gaming and lottery play. Along with addiction worries, DeMora opined that iGaming and iLottery would negatively hurt business as retail facilities.

“The casino gaming industry employs hundreds of people with good, union jobs. We cannot risk the position of these critical institutions by making them irrelevant, with Ohioans who want to gamble turning to their phones instead of supporting brick-and-mortar stores,” DeMora wrote.