Ohio Regulator Moves to Ban Credit Card Funding for Sports Betting Accounts

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is moving forward with a rule that would prohibit sports bettors in the state from funding their wagering accounts with credit cards, an agency spokesperson confirmed this week. The measure hasn’t taken effect yet — it still needs to pass through Ohio’s Common Sense Initiative and receive approval from the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review before implementation.

If enacted, Ohio would join a group of roughly six states that already ban credit card use for sports betting deposits, including Illinois and Tennessee. The rule targets one of the more common responsible-gambling concerns tied to online wagering: bettors funding losses with borrowed money rather than disposable income.

More Than a Dozen Sportsbooks Complicate Oversight

Ohio’s crowded operator landscape — more than a dozen online sportsbooks currently operate legally in the state — has made it difficult to monitor individual spending patterns across platforms, according to Derek Longmeier, Executive Director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio. “One of the cardinal rules of gambling, at low risk, is only spending money that you have,” Longmeier said. “If you’re putting money on a credit card, then obviously, that goes beyond that.”

The credit card rule represents a more targeted, technical fix compared to a separate legislative effort circulating in the Ohio statehouse. A group of conservative lawmakers has introduced a bill calling for far broader changes, including a full prohibition on online sports wagering and a $100 cap on individual bets. That bill has drawn support from faith-based organizations and mental health advocates, but faces limited prospects of passage given the composition of the current legislature.

Ohio’s Complicated Relationship With Legal Betting

Ohio legalized sports betting in 2021 with overwhelming legislative support — only 14 of 132 state lawmakers voted against the measure at the time. Gov. Mike DeWine has since publicly described signing that legislation as his “biggest mistake,” a notable reversal from a governor who has otherwise touted the state’s economic growth under legal wagering.

Data suggests the concern isn’t purely symbolic. A 2022 survey found that one in five Ohio residents qualify as “at-risk” gamblers, and calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline increased significantly in 2023. Those numbers have given ammunition to advocates pushing for stricter guardrails, even as the broader legislative appetite for rolling back Ohio sports betting remains limited.

What Comes Next

Assuming the credit card funding ban clears its remaining procedural hurdles, Ohio bettors would need to rely on debit cards, bank transfers, or other funding methods to wager online — bringing the state in line with a small but growing list of jurisdictions treating credit card deposits as an unacceptable risk vector for problem gambling. The rule’s progress through the Common Sense Initiative and Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review will determine the eventual implementation timeline.