Le régulateur de l'Ohio fait face à l'interdiction des cartes de crédit et au projet de loi HB 971
Ohio’s gambling regulator is moving on two fronts at once. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) has proposed a rule targeting credit card funded sports betting deposits, a step several major operators had already taken voluntarily. At the same time, state lawmakers have introduced House Bill 971, the “Save Ohio Sports Act”, which would go much further and ban online sports betting and live wagering outright.
Caught between these two efforts, the OCCC enforces whatever framework lawmakers set rather than weigh in on the merits of a full ban. The Commission’s bust of an illegal gambling operation in Sidney, Ohio, adds another layer to the debate, raising the question of whether tighter rules on the legal market could push bettors towards unregulated alternatives.
SiGMA News spoke exclusively with Andromeda Morrison, Interim Executive Director of the OCCC, to get the regulator’s take on credit card workarounds, HB 971, industry compliance, and the black-market risk.
Closing digital wallet loophole
The Commission’s proposal explicitly targets direct credit card funding for sports betting deposits. But sportsbooks still widely accept digital wallets like Apple Pay and PayPal, along with prepaid cards, both of which can themselves be loaded with a credit card. So, the question is whether the OCCC is closing off these workaround channels or leaving a gap.
According to Morrison, the rule is designed to close that gap entirely. “Licensed Ohio operators are required to ensure that the funding sources used to make deposits are limited to approved methods. This includes third party wallet products such as Apple Pay or PayPal,” she said.
Licensed operators, she added, must ensure the payment providers they work with fall in line with that requirement. If finalised, Ohio bettors will not be able to fund their accounts with a credit card even by routing through a digital wallet.
Morrison downplayed the risk of disruption. Several licensed operators, representing market share, have already moved on their own to restrict credit card deposits. Because of that head start, she said the Commission does not expect the rule to cause much industry upheaval. “Ohio operators are well positioned to ensure full compliance,” she said.
Future of sports betting in Ohio
House Bill 971 would outlaw online sports betting and live wagering across the state entirely. As Ohio’s top gaming regulator, the question is whether a ban would drive bettors back to offshore bookmakers.
Morrison remained neutral. “As the regulator, our role is not to advocate for or against a legislative ban; it is to provide facts, enforce the law, and protect consumers under whatever framework the General Assembly chooses,” she noted.
The Commission, she added, intends to serve as a resource for lawmakers, offering accurate and impartial information rather than a position.
Why the ban now
Major sportsbooks including DraftKings and FanDuel had already voluntarily phased out direct credit card use over the past year. Morrison framed the rule as catching up to a trend the industry itself had already identified as risky, rather than responding to a single triggering incident. “The Commission is consistently working to ensure our regulatory framework reflects the ‘real world’ realities of the Ohio sports gaming market,” she explained.
The fact that multiple operators had already taken voluntary steps to limit credit card deposits signalled to the Commission that a formal rule was warranted. The goal now, she said, is consistency: “It is important to create uniformity across all licensees.”
Black market concerns
With the Ohio Commission recent raid in Sidney, Ohio. Morrison rejected the idea that stricter rules on the legal market would fuel black-market growth. “Consumer protection is not about restricting legal gaming to the point that individuals go underground. It is about making the legal market safer, more transparent, and more accountable than the alternatives.”
She cited the Commission’s enforcement record as evidence that it takes the black market seriously, emphasising that its regulatory effort is intended to improve, not undermine, the legal system. “When the regulated system is trustworthy, well supervised, and consumer focused, Ohioans are far less likely to seek out unsafe illegal platforms.”
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