Ohio's governor, Mike DeWine, rolled out his final budget proposal on Monday (3 February) and it includes raising the legal sports betting tax on operators to 40%.
Should the state legislature agree, it would mark the second time since July 2023 that the tax was raised. In 2023, DeWine pushed through a budget that hiked the tax from 10% to 20%. That moved Ohio from a gambling-friendly tax state to one on the higher end of the spectrum.
If the tax goes to 40%, it would make Ohio the second-most expensive competitive market for wagering operators. New York has the highest tax rate at 51%. And last summer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker initiated discussions to raise the tax in his state. Pritzker initially proposed more than doubling the 15% tax to 35%. But lawmakers went further, creating a sliding scale between 20% and 40%. The highest-revenue companies pay at the top end of the scale.
“We have known since day one that DeWine has hated sports betting,” gambling consultant Bren..