“We Really Do Get Death Threats”: Time to Draw the Line Against Sports Betting Abuse
Today at the Ohio Statehouse, Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) stood alongside a coalition of lawmakers, public health experts, and former athletes to announce a major overhaul of Ohio’s sports betting laws: The Save Ohio Sports Act.
The "virtual casino" in our pockets is doing more than just draining bank accounts—it is destroying the integrity of the game and the safety of the players. NBA star Michael Porter Jr. recently unmasked the dark side of this industry, stating, "We really do get death threats." Disgruntled bettors no longer see the players. They see numbers on a parlay.
Porter Jr.’s experience isn't an outlier; it’s the new industry standard. NCAA data confirms that one in three Division I men’s basketball players are now systematically targeted for harassment by bettors. Whether it's a pro in the NBA or a student-athlete on campus, the "pocket predator" has turned players into targets for abuse.
This predatory business model is designed to weaponize data and create lifelong addiction. While Americans are on track to lose $1 trillion in wealth to gambling interests by 2030—a staggering $300,000 every minute—the human cost of this shakedown is priceless.
We cannot sit by while gambling interests win at the expense of our athletes' safety and Ohio families' futures.
Take Action Now: Stand for Ohio Families
Lawmakers need to hear from you today. The gambling lobby is powerful, but they don't have your voice. It only takes 30 seconds to tell your Senator and Representative to support the Save Ohio Sports Act.
About The Save Ohio Sports Act
The Save Ohio Sports Act introduces common-sense safeguards to protect the vulnerable and restore the integrity of the game.
Key provisions include:
Wager Amount and Frequency Limits: Restricts individual wagers to a maximum of $100 and limits users to eight bets within a 24-hour period. This serves as a “speed bump” against rapid, compulsive betting cycles and prevents catastrophic one-click losses.
“No Debt to Bet”: Completely prohibits the use of credit cards for placing any bets or wagers. Ensuring that individuals only gamble with funds they actually possess helps prevent escalating financial debt.
No Financial Lures: Bans gambling companies from offering monetary incentives like “Free Bets” or “Risk-Free Bets.” These predatory marketing tactics disguise losses and manipulate consumers into continued gambling.
Advertising Limits and Prohibitions: Bans all sports-betting advertisements during live broadcasts of professional sports games and within physical professional sports venues.
Gambling Location Requirements: Mandates that all sports betting take place exclusively at one of Ohio’s four constitutionally authorized physical casinos, removing the 24/7 casino from our smartphones.
Full Ban on Proposition (“Prop”) Bets: Stops companies from offering bets on specific in-game stats—like a player’s rebounds or strikeouts—that do not affect the final score. This protects athletes from targeted harassment by disgruntled bettors.
Complete Elimination of Parlay Bets: Removes parlay bets—wagers that combine multiple events where every part must win—from authorized formats to prevent high-risk, predatory betting structures.
Prohibition on All In-Game/In-Play Wagering: Bans the most impulsive and addictive type of gambling—bets made after a game starts but before it ends.
Total Ban on Collegiate Athletic Wagering: Prohibits all bets on college sports to protect the integrity of amateur competitions and the well-being of student-athletes.
The press conference featured powerful testimony from State Representative Gary Click, State Representative Riordan McClain; State Representative Johnathan Newman; Aaron Baer, President of Center for Christian Virtue; Tony Coder, CEO of Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation; Lawrence Funderburke, founder of the Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization, former professional basketball player and former Ohio State University basketball player; Brianne Doura-Schawohl, CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting LLC and problem gambling policy expert; Dr. Chris Tuell, Clinical Director of Addiction Services at Lindner Center of Hope, and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Resources
This fact sheet breaks down the legislative response to the integrity crisis and the systematic harassment of student-athletes. It provides a detailed overview of the bans on prop bets and collegiate wagering, offers data-backed rebuttals to industry myths regarding tax revenue and illegal markets, and features powerful testimony from professional athletes and state leaders.
Consumer Protection Fact Sheet
This fact sheet outlines the legislative roadmap to dismantle the "pocket predator" model by restoring sports betting to physical locations and enacting "No Debt to Bet" credit card prohibitions. It provides a breakdown of the five core consumer protection measures, data on the staggering $300,000-per-minute wealth extraction, and recent polling that shows broad public support for these common-sense safeguards.
Don't let the gambling lobby win. Tell your Senator and Representative to stand for Ohio families and support the Save Ohio Sports Act.
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org. For media inquiries, email media@ccv.org.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
