Ohio’s response to betting-related abuse
Ohio’s response has taken two related forms: giving regulators a tool to address sports-gaming-related threats and restricting wagers that focus on individual college athletes. July 2023 budget legislation gave the Ohio Casino Control Commission authority to permanently bar or place on an exclusion list sports bettors found to have threatened or harassed student-athletes, according to Sports Betting Dime. The commission later approved a ban on player-specific prop bets for NCAA contests after a request supported by Gov. Mike DeWine and NCAA President Charlie Baker, iGaming Business reported.
The measures reflect concerns that wagers tied directly to a player's performance can intensify pressure on athletes. An NCAA survey released in November 2025 found that 16% of Football Bowl Subdivision players and 36% of Division I men’s basketball players reported receiving negative or threatening social-media messages connected to sports betting during the prior year. The NCAA also launched its “Draw the Line” education campaign in March 2024, according to NCAA.org.
The Ohio State case
The policy debate has a local example in the online backlash that followed Ohio State’s 24-23 loss to Texas. The Buckeyes surrendered a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, and transfer kicker Connor Hawkins became a target after missing a field-goal attempt with slightly more than four minutes remaining. Hawkins had scored 11 points through three successful field goals and extra points, according to WSYX and Sports Illustrated.
What Ohio’s authority does — and does not — show
According to Ohio Casino Control Commission meeting minutes, the 2023 legislation allows the commission to consider involuntarily excluding from sports gaming people who threaten violence or harm against individuals involved in sporting events when the threat is related to sports gaming. Ohio Revised Code § 3775.02 also authorizes the commission to prohibit or restrict wagers on particular sporting events or types of wagers. Those sources establish the regulatory authority, but they do not by themselves document that the commission has actually excluded a bettor for threatening or harassing an athlete.
The authority applies within a sizable legal market. The Ohio Casino Control Commission’s 2025 sports-gaming revenue report lists $901,779,639 in statewide total revenue for the January-through-November totals shown in the report, including $890,102,813 online and $11,676,826 at retail locations, according to the commission.
The online criticism also targeted coach Ryan Day. Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda condemned the abuse as “not the Ohio way,” while expressing support for the team and its coaches, WSYX reported. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said young people, coaches and families should be protected and that Columbus police would assist Ohio State police with any necessary online-harassment investigations. Ohio State University Police were monitoring the posts, according to the same report.
Potential legal consequences
Ohio Revised Code § 2917.21 treats electronic messages or social-media posts intended to harass, intimidate or abuse another person as telecommunications harassment. The Ohio Legislative Service Commission says the offense is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail; repeat violations or threats involving serious physical injury can lead to felony charges under aggravated-menacing laws.
