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Ohio’s latest attempt to legalize real-money online casinos did not advance, according to a Sept. 14 report from Scioto County Daily News. For West Virginia readers, the main takeaway is that WV remains one of the eight states identified in the report as allowing legal real-money online casino play.
Ohio House Bill 298 was introduced on May 20, 2025, by Republican state representatives Brian Stewart and Marilyn John. The proposal would have put the Ohio Casino Control Commission in charge of regulation, set a 28% tax on internet gambling revenue, and required a $50 million license fee for operators.
Ohio’s online casino proposal failed to move forward
The source report says HB 298 stalled after pushback and failed to advance during the legislative session. It also says there have been no immediate changes to how online casinos are handled in Ohio, where real-money online casinos remain illegal.
The same report says Ohio legalized sports betting in 2021 after Gov. Mike DeWine signed that measure into law, but online casino gaming has not followed the same path.
West Virginia remains in a limited group of legal iGaming states
Scioto County Daily News said only eight states have legalized real-money online casinos: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maine, and West Virginia.
That keeps West Virginia in a relatively small group of regulated iGaming jurisdictions while neighboring Ohio remains on the sidelines.
Sweepstakes casinos still operate in Ohio
The report also says sweepstakes casinos remain legal in Ohio and have operated there for close to a decade. It identifies Chumba Casino and Stake.us among sites continuing to operate in what the article describes as an unregulated gray-market area.
According to the source, sweepstakes casinos use virtual Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, with Sweeps Coins redeemable for prizes including cash transfers and gift cards.
What comes next in Ohio is unclear. The source leaves open whether lawmakers will revisit online casino legalization, propose a new bill, or move to restrict sweepstakes casinos instead.
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Source: As reported by NicoleTaylor.
