College Sports Betting Gets OK From Ohio Regulator

• HB 29 – the sports betting bill that currently awaits Gov. Mark DeWine’s signature – will allow for betting on college sports, according to Matt Chuler of the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
• The statement silences questions about potential restrictions on college sports, which were based on potential issues opponents raised in front of Congress earlier this year.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – According to Matt Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, HB 29 – the sports betting bill that recently passed through the Ohio legislature – will allow for betting on college sports.

“That’s the big question: Will people be able to bet on the Ohio State Buckeyes? Yes, they will.” Schuler told the Associated Press.

The statement from Schuler puts to bed questions about any potential Ohio sports betting restrictions and which events could be legally wagered on.

The bill overwhelmingly passed the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House Of Representatives earlier this month; it currently awaits Governor Ron DeWine’s signature, who has previously said he will sign the bill.

The move may upset some in the upper echelons of Ohio’s academic institutions, such as Bruce Johnson – leader of the Inter-University Council of Ohio – who testified in front of the Ohio Senate about the issue in March.

“If wagering on collegiate sports is permitted, it would not take a great leap of logic to conclude the risk of student athletes soliciting and accepting payments to influence the outcome of games may increase,” Johnson testified to the Senate.

Schuler says the committee’s position will be to allow legal sports betting operators to include major collegiate sporting events; however, he did say that the committee could change that position at any time, if necessary.

“If the commission is presented with a scenario where its intervention is needed for the purpose of integrity and managing risk, then the commission will absolutely consider that and take whatever measures are necessary to do so,” he said.

News tags: Associated Press | Bruce Johnson | College Basketball | College Football | HB 29 | Inter-University Council of Ohio | Mark DeWine | Matt Schuler | Ohio | Ohio Casino Control Commission | Ohio House Of Representatives | Ohio Senate | Ohio State Buckeyes