Ohio gives gaming licensees until 30 October to cut ties with sports prediction market operators

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) has set a 30 October deadline for its sports betting and fantasy sports licensees to stop providing services to prediction market operators that offer sports event contracts in the state. The directive was issued on 20 October.

The notice covers more than operators. It also applies to suppliers, integrity monitors, testing laboratories and other licensed businesses connected to Ohio's gambling sector. All affected licensees must tell the Commission by 30 October that they have complied, and they must keep records supporting their response. Failure to comply could trigger suitability investigations and lead to licence denial, non-renewal, suspension or revocation.

The move follows cease-and-desist orders sent on 2 October to 10 prediction market operators: Underdog, Gemini Titan, Coinbase, Prophet X, Novig, Robinhood, Polymarket, Plus500, Moomoo and Webull. They were told to stop offering sports event contracts in Ohio by 16 October. With that date passed, the Commission said it intends to act against operators that did not comply. DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics run both sportsbook and prediction market businesses in Ohio.

The regulator says its position has not changed since early 2025: offering sports event contracts to people in Ohio is sports gaming and needs a state licence. It also cited a September ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which held that sports event contracts are not swaps under exclusive federal jurisdiction and that Ohio can enforce its own sports gaming laws. Andromeda Morrison, the OCCC's interim executive director, told the seven-member Commission that operators continuing to support unregulated and unlicensed gaming through prediction markets may affect their future and ongoing suitability.

Lawmakers are pursuing a separate route. Senate Bill 430, introduced in April, would treat sports event contracts offered by platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket as sports betting under Ohio law. Operators would need a state sports betting licence, would pay the 20% betting tax and would have to meet rules on advertising, player protection and self-exclusion, with a minimum age of 21. A separate bill would prohibit election-related prediction market contracts. Estimates suggest the state may be missing out on $80m to $100m in revenue from prediction market activity, but legislative progress has lagged behind the regulator's enforcement.