Ohio governor-elect Acton backs iGaming revenue, but HB 298 and SB 197 sit idle in committee

Democrat Amy Acton beat Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor after calling online gambling a possible revenue source, replacing a governor who has stymied most recent iGaming legalization attempts. The two bills that would legalize online casino gaming have recorded no committee progress since they were referred in May 2025.

• Unofficial results with about 98% of the vote counted gave Amy Acton 52.31%, or 2,404,178 votes, to Vivek Ramaswamy's 44.38%.
• Republicans won 52 Ohio House seats to the Democrats' 42, falling below the 60-seat supermajority they had held since 2013.
• House Bill 298 would tax internet gambling receipts at 28%, and its sponsors estimated it could raise $400 million to $800 million a year.
• Senate Bill 197 was sent to the Select Committee on Gaming on May 14, 2025, with no later action recorded.

Ohio voters on Nov. 3 elected a governor who has described online gambling as a possible source of state revenue. Unofficial results with about 98% of the vote counted gave Democrat Amy Acton 52.31%, or 2,404,178 votes, to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s 44.38%, 10TV reported. Her lead stood at 364,388 votes in unofficial returns, and she carried eight counties that had backed Trump in 2024, according to WVXU.

For online casino and poker, the change at the top is the story. Outgoing Gov. Mike DeWine has stymied most recent attempts at iGaming legalization in the Buckeye State, and two bills filed in 2025 have stalled in committee. Acton takes over from DeWine in January, and trade coverage since the vote suggests the legalization push could pick up again in 2027.

Acton tied gambling revenue to schools, childcare and property taxes

In a September campaign interview, Acton described online gambling as a possible revenue source for her proposals and state services, the Statehouse News Bureau reported. Some Republican lawmakers backing expansion have made the same case. She wants any new gambling revenue directed to public schools, childcare and cutting household costs and property taxes, CDC Gaming reported. On sports betting, she supports keeping the 20% tax while restricting some advertising and certain micro bets.

Her position stops well short of a plan. It was a campaign stance, not a legislative proposal, and neither candidate set out a bill, tax structure, player protections or advertising limits, Yogonet reported. An election-day analysis by Action Network found that Acton and Libertarian Don Kissick backed gambling expansion. Ramaswamy had not committed to a plan.

House Republicans drop to 52 seats, below their supermajority

The legislature any bill must clear will also look different. Unofficial results show Ohio voters electing 52 Republicans and 42 Democrats to the House, leaving Republicans below the 60-seat supermajority they had held in the chamber since 2013, the Ohio Capital Journal reported. Republicans still hold more seats. Gambling expansion has not split cleanly along party lines in Columbus, since some Republican backers have pitched online gambling as revenue just as Acton did.

HB 298 and SB 197 have not moved since May 2025

House Bill 298 would legalize and regulate internet gambling, tax the businesses that offer it and ban online sweepstakes games. It calls on the Ohio Casino Control Commission to regulate the market. The Ohio House lists the bill in its As Introduced version, assigned to the House Finance Committee, and the General Assembly’s tracker shows it has not been reported out or passed by either chamber. HB 298 would tax internet gambling receipts at 28%, the same rate as Michigan, and send 1% of the proceeds to the Problem Gambling Fund, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. Its sponsors estimated it could raise $400 million to $800 million a year.

Senate Bill 197 has sat even longer without action. It was introduced on May 13, 2025 and sent to the Select Committee on Gaming on May 14, 2025, with no later action recorded on its status page. The Legislative Service Commission’s analysis says the bill would create three new forms of online gambling: internet gambling, iLottery and online horse-race wagering. It would put regulation under the Casino Control Commission, require players to be at least 21 and inside Ohio, and limit internet gambling licenses to Ohio casino operators and racetrack owners. The same Senate committee also holds SB 430, which would define certain activities as regulated sports gaming.

Any comprehensive iGaming framework would likely authorize regulated online poker alongside casino offerings. That could bring a large new state into the shared-liquidity pool.

Four Ohio casinos took in $87.7 million in September

The pushback is likely to come from the land-based side. Lawmakers will need convincing that iGaming adds revenue without cannibalizing the existing brick-and-mortar casino industry, and that industry is posting gains. Ohio’s four casinos took in $87.7 million in September 2026, up 12.6% from a year earlier, according to Casino Control Commission figures. Slots accounted for $65.4 million and table games for $22.2 million.

Those properties pay 33% tax on gross casino revenue, with 2% of that tax going to the Problem Gambling and Addictions Fund, according to the commission. The 28% rate in HB 298 would sit below that land-based rate. Bill sponsor Rep. Brian Stewart has proposed that iGaming promotions be redeemable only at land-based casinos and racinos to address cannibalization fears, Yogonet reported. Ohio has 11 casinos and racinos employing roughly 20,000 people.

As of the Senate’s Nov. 10 committee listing, SB 197 and SB 430 remained with the Select Committee on Gaming. Acton takes office in January.