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SB 430

Specify that certain actions constitute regulated sports gaming

136th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Bill DeMora

SB 430 treats sporting event prediction markets as regulated sports gaming, expanding licensing, integrity, and consumer protections under Ohio's regulatory framework.

Referred to committee
#gambling
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Bill Summary · SB 430

Summary of Bill SB 430 (Ohio, 136th General Assembly, 2025-2026)

Aimed at integrating prediction markets for sports into Ohio’s sports gaming framework and enhancing regulation and integrity measures, SB 430 would amend multiple sections of the Revised Code to specify that using a prediction market to trade event contracts tied to sporting events constitutes regulated sports gaming in this state.

1) Purpose and Intent

  • Explicitly designate prediction market activity tied to sporting events as sports gaming regulated by the state.
  • Establish a comprehensive framework for licensing, regulation, enforcement, and integrity measures related to sports gaming, including prediction markets.
  • Align rules with existing casino control commission authority and the state lottery commission, while creating specific provisions for type A, B, and C sports gaming proprietors and related entities.

2) Key Provisions and Changes

Definitions and Scope

  • Adds/clarifies terms related to sports gaming, including prediction market concepts:
    • Event contract: instrument tied to a sporting event’s occurrence.
    • Prediction market: system allowing the acquisition, sale, or trading of event contracts.
  • Expands “sports gaming” to include prediction markets as a form of sports betting, subject to regulation.

Licensing and Regulation

  • Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) retains jurisdiction over all persons conducting or participating in sports gaming, including prediction markets, with rules adopted under Ohio’s Chapter 119 process.
  • Section establishes the roles and licensing for:
    • Type A sports gaming proprietors (online sports pool operators).
    • Type B sports gaming proprietors (facility-based operators).
    • Type C sports gaming proprietors (self-service or clerk-operated terminals at host facilities).
    • Mobile management services providers and management services providers (operating on behalf of proprietors).
    • Sports gaming hosts (facility owners with specific liquor permits).

Wagering, Equipment, and Operations

  • Types of permissible wagers and devices are regulated, including:
    • Wager types: spreads, over-under, moneyline, parlays (up to four components), etc.
    • Payment methods: cash, credit/debit cards, or electronic payment accounts (including general-use e-wallets, not just gaming-specific).
    • Terminal limits: initial cap of seven hundred dollars per participant per calendar week.
    • Equipment and software: commission approval required; independent testing labs may certify equipment and forms, with rules on lab independence.
  • Minimum internal control standards, recordkeeping, and audits are mandated.
  • Provisions for data sharing with sports governing bodies and state universities in anonymized form for integrity and research purposes.

Revenue and Penalties

  • Licensing fees, surcharges, and distribution:
    • Fees collected go to the casino control commission fund, with a split that directs half of certain fees to a Veterans’ program and the remainder to a sports gaming revenue fund.
  • Violations carry penalties, including potential license revocation for licensees, with various degrees of offense codified (first offense misdemeanor/felony thresholds, subsequent offenses more severe).
  • Strong emphasis on integrity:
    • Mandatory reporting of suspicious wagering and abnormal activity.
    • Cooperation with law enforcement and sports governing bodies.
    • Prohibition on insiders’ influence over outcomes or unlawful manipulation.
  • Provisions for voluntary exclusion programs and responsible gaming measures, including marketing restrictions aimed at minors and vulnerable individuals.

Compliance and Oversight

  • Rules governing internal controls, testing/approval of equipment, and confidentiality of data between sports governing bodies and operators.
  • Authority to temporarily restrict or prohibit wagering on certain events or wager types via emergency rulemaking, with formal procedures for industry input.

3) Affected Parties and Impact

  • Sports gaming proprietors (Type A, B, and C) and their employees/agents.
  • Mobile management services providers and management services providers.
  • Sports gaming hosts (facility owners with applicable liquor permits).
  • Ohio Casino Control Commission (regulatory body) and the State Lottery Commission (where applicable to lottery-related sports gaming).
  • Sports governing bodies and, for research/education purposes, state universities (anonymized data sharing).
  • Patrons/wagers: individuals 21+ allowed to place bets on authorized sporting events; wagering limits apply.
  • Law enforcement and attorney general, via enforcement and civil action provisions.

4) Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Licensing and ongoing regulation are administered under Chapter 119 procedures for rulemaking.
  • Initial and renewal/licensing investigations are required for all applicants.
  • Financial and IT system audits to be conducted at least every three years (for IT) and annually (for financials by CPA).
  • Equipment testing and certification processes include independent labs, with standards and fees established by the commission.
  • Emergency rule authority allows rapid temporary prohibitions or restrictions on events or bet types, subject to notice and hearing processes.
  • Data sharing and privacy provisions govern anonymized data exchanges with sports bodies and universities.

Note: The bill also repeals certain existing sections (as indicated in the text), consolidating and updating cross-references within the Revised Code.

Overall, SB 430 positions prediction markets for sports as regulated sports gaming in Ohio, expanding regulatory oversight, consumer protections, and integrity measures within the state’s sports wagering framework.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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