Candidate Amy Acton’s proposal would funnel revenue into schools, childcare, and property tax relief for Ohioans. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has not voiced his stance on the topic yet.

As the race for Ohio’s next governor heats up, the online casino debate is coming to the forefront. The state’s casinos and legal sports betting is a critical source of revenue, and the debate now turns to whether or not to legalize online casinos in the state. 

While Ohio has legalized online sports betting, real-money online casinos are not permitted. 

Democratic candidate Amy Acton recently voiced her support for expanding access to online gambling for Ohioans. Her campaign said she is open to legalizing online casino-style games and other types of online gambling to increase revenue for the state. 

Her campaign says she plans to put the additional revenue towards public schools in Ohio, childcare subsidies, and property tax relief. 

Campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement that Acton “is open to responsibly expanding iGaming… to increase revenue in Ohio to fund our priorities.” She said that the priorities include “public schools, childcare, and measures that would reduce costs and property taxes for everyday Ohioans.”

With these proposals, questions linger about the impact legalization would have on adults that struggle with a gambling addiction. 

Acton supports some limits on “microprop” bets, but does not want broader bans on prop betting or any change to Ohio’s current 20% sports betting tax rate. 

Republican candidate and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has not voiced his position on the debate yet. 

In the past, Ramaswamy has expressed his plans to cut property taxes and eliminate Ohio’s state income tax to return more dollars to the pockets of hardworking Ohioans.

Libertarian candidate Don Kissick has also expressed an openness to expanding legal online gambling access in Ohio. Acton and Ramaswamy are the frontrunners in the race according to polling. 

Under current Republican Governor Mike DeWine, sports betting was legalized in Ohio. He later became an outspoken critic of it and said he regrets ever legalizing it. He pushed for sports betting taxes in Ohio to be doubled from the original 10% to 20%. 

The state of Ohio has four casinos, seven racinos, and legal sports betting. The debate surrounding expanding access to online gambling is an important one for voters who are deciding who the next governor of Ohio will be in November.