Ohio Moves to Ban Credit Card Deposits for Sports Betting

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is finalizing a rule that would prohibit sports bettors in the state from funding wagers with credit cards, an agency spokesperson confirmed on Thursday. The measure amends Sports Gaming Rule 3775-16-03, removing credit cards as a permitted funding option for online sports betting accounts.

The rule has not yet taken effect. Before implementation, it must clear Ohio’s Common Sense Initiative and receive approval from the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, the state’s legislative oversight panel for agency rulemaking. If both steps proceed without objection, the prohibition could be in force by the end of summer 2026.

Comment period closed with no substantive objections

The Commission introduced the amendment in early May and ran a public comment window through May 15. Craig Donahue, the OCCC’s deputy executive director and director of regulatory compliance, reported that no substantive comments were received. DraftKings requested a minor technical change but raised no objection to the ban itself.

Two licensed Ohio daily fantasy sports operators asked whether the prohibition would extend to their customers. The Commission confirmed it will not. Licensed fantasy contest operators are excluded from the rule as drafted.

Debit cards, ACH transfers, wire transfers, promotional credits and existing winnings all remain permitted funding methods. The rule targets credit cards specifically, on the argument that they allow customers to wager with borrowed money rather than funds they hold.

Operators have already moved

The practical impact on the market may be limited, because most major sportsbooks have stopped accepting credit card deposits voluntarily. DraftKings operates a nationwide credit card ban for sports betting accounts. FanDuel, Fanatics Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook and bet365 apply similar prohibitions, while BetMGM said in May it would begin phasing out credit card deposits.

Card networks frequently classify sportsbook deposits as cash advances, which trigger higher fees and immediate interest charges. That treatment has pushed both operators and customers away from the payment method independently of any regulatory action.

More than a dozen online sportsbooks currently operate in Ohio, a factor that complicates efforts to monitor individual spending across platforms, according to Derek Longmeier, Executive Director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio.

“One of the cardinal rules of gambling, at low risk, is only spending money that you have. If you’re putting money on a credit card, then obviously, that goes beyond that.”

Longmeier made the comments in an interview last Monday, welcoming the Commission’s move.

Wider legislative push faces long odds

Separately, a group of conservative Ohio lawmakers has introduced legislation seeking broader rollbacks of the state’s sports betting framework, including a prohibition on online wagering. The package, backed by faith-based organizations and mental health advocates, faces limited prospects given the composition of the current legislature. When Ohio legalized sports betting in 2021, only 14 of 132 state lawmakers voted against the measure.

Governor Mike DeWine has since described signing that legislation as his “biggest mistake.” A DeWine spokesperson declined to comment on the OCCC rule.

State data points to elevated risk indicators. A 2022 survey found that one in five Ohio residents qualify as at least “at-risk” gamblers, and calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline rose significantly in 2023.

Ohio would be the tenth state with a ban

If the rule takes effect, Ohio joins nine states that already prohibit credit card deposits for sports betting: Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. The state-by-state pattern mirrors a broader tightening of US consumer protection rules, from Massachusetts’ proposed 51% sports betting tax to the mix of expansion and crackdown measures moving through US legislatures in 2026. Payment restrictions sit alongside tools such as self-exclusion system upgrades in Ontario as regulators formalize protections that operators have in many cases adopted first.

Commission staff will now complete the formal filing process and bring the amendment back for a final vote. If the Common Sense Initiative and JCARR reviews raise no objections, Ohio’s credit card prohibition could take effect before the end of the 2026 NFL season’s opening months.

Source: Ohio Casino Control Commission