Ohio Blocks Certain Betting Products amid Integrity Concerns

Buckeye sports fans should forget about wagering on college baseball games involving the Alabaman team for a while. This comes as the local regulator detected suspicious activity during the latest match between Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU.

As reported by ESPN, US Integrity, a Las Vegas-based independent integrity monitor, filed a report about concerning activity during the recent college baseball game. The Vegas firm spotted what it called “suspicious wagering activity” involving the Alabaman team and immediately notified its sportsbook clients.

As a result, the Ohio Casino Control Commission issued a temporary sports betting ban on events involving the Crimson Tide. ESPN understood that Matthew T. Schuler, executive director of the commission, issued the order with immediate effect.

Schuler confirmed that his decision came in response to US Integrity’s warning. Since the United States does not have a national gaming regulator, states are free to independently decide what happens in such situations. As of the time of this writing, Ohio is the only state to block betting on games involving the Alabaman college baseball team.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission is yet to release further statements on that matter.

The Crimson Tide Will Face Off against Vanderbilt

For reference, the game between LSU and Alabama saw the former team lead the first seven innings with eight points against the Crimson Tide’s single point. The latter team eventually regrouped but was unable to deal an upset to the current favorites.

The next game featuring the Crimson Tide will be on Thursday when Alabama is scheduled to play against Vanderbilt. However, Ohioan bettors might have to miss out on betting during that game because of the ongoing issue.

Ohio Sports Betting Is Dawdling

Speaking of Ohio, a recent report shows that the Ohio Lottery Commission’s sports betting kiosks are not as successful as the company had hoped. The commission has so far spent hundreds of thousands of dollars securing the kiosk locations, paying the necessary expenses to launch sports betting and supporting its staff. However, the returns it has seen are less than thrilling.

Ohio launched sports betting this year and recorded an impressive handle of $1.1 billion in January. Unfortunately, a month later, the handle plummeted to $639 million, sparking concerns about the future of the vertical in the state.

While gambling as a whole has a place in the state, it may take a while for the Buckeyes to get used to the new offerings.