SAVE OHIO SPORTS

About Our Efforts

The rapid expansion of legalized sports betting threatens our citizens' financial stability and the integrity of live sports. With 9 million American adults suffering from gambling addiction and 96% of those with a gambling disorder facing a co-occurring mental health issue, we are taking urgent action.

To combat this crisis, we are championing the Save Ohio Sports Act (SOS), which focuses on two key areas:

1. Sports Integrity

Bans in-game betting, proposition ("prop") bets, parlay bets, and completely bans wagers on collegiate athletics.

• In a report by the Guardian, research found that over the course of 13 different NHL games, over 6,282 sports betting-related advertisements were displayed, or one ad every 13 seconds.

• College athletes are uniquely vulnerable to threats of harassment, with 1 in 3 high-profile athletes receiving abusive messages from someone with a betting interest.

• Across the 2024 Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, out of 54,000 posts/comments flagged for abuse or threats, 4,000 were confirmed as abusive or threatening, with some messages even being elevated to law enforcement.

2. Consumer Protection

Prohibits using debt to place bets, using financial lures, showing sports-betting ads in venues and during live broadcasts, completely bans wagers on collegiate athletics, limits wager amounts, and requires that sports bets only be placed in-person at one of Ohio's four authorized casinos.

• The availability of online sports books increased searches for gambling addiction help by 66%.

• Of all addictions, gambling addicts have the highest suicide rate. 80% of those with severe gambling addiction consider suicide, and up to 20% make an attempt.

• According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, 70% of youth aged 12–17 years gambled in the past 12 months, and problem gambling rates among youth are 3–4 times higher than among adults.