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A commentary published Oct. 20 in the Aurora News-Register, a Nebraska outlet, cites Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s view of the state’s 2021 sports betting law as part of an argument against legalizing online sports betting in Nebraska. The piece is opinion, and the claims below are the writer’s, not findings reported by this site.
Andy Forsberg wrote that Nebraska Initiatives 440 and 441 would legalize online sports betting in the state. He argued that passing them would harm ordinary people.
What the commentary says about DeWine and Ohio
According to the commentary, DeWine said that signing the December 2021 bill to legalize sports betting in Ohio was "the biggest mistake of his time in office." The writer says DeWine cited a flood of mobile sports betting advertisements and rising addiction rates, particularly among young men up to age 45.
The commentary does not describe the provisions of the Ohio bill, name its number, or say when it took effect.
Forsberg also says the rise in online wagering led to direct threats against college athletes, including players at the University of Dayton. The piece offers no further detail on those threats.
Other claims cited in the piece
The commentary makes two further claims about states with legal sports betting:
- It cites unherd.com for the statement "Bankruptcies jump 28 percent in states with legal online sports betting."
- It cites a joint study from the University of Michigan and Rice University that it says links legal sports betting to a 30 to 70 percent overall increase in violent and impulsive crimes during game days, from the start of a major league game through four hours after it ends.
The commentary does not tie either figure specifically to Ohio. This article has not independently verified them.
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Source: As reported by Aurora News-Register.
This article was created with the assistance of AI and is monitored by our editorial team.
