Ohio regulator threatens lifetime ban if gamblers threaten athletes, following complaint from University of Dayton basketball coach

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state’s top gambling regulator has threatened to ban anyone who threatens athletes whose play affects their betting on the game after a University of Dayton basketball coach complained about criticism his players received after blowing a halftime lead earlier this week.

Ohio Casino Control Commission Executive Director Matt Schuler said Wednesday that the commission has discretion to impose a lifetime ban on anyone who threatens athletes.

“It’s not something that is overly prevalent, but when it certainly happens, it gets everyone’s attention because these are kids that are out playing a game,” Schuler said, according to Gongwer News.

Schuler was reacting to comments from Anthony Grant, coach of the University of Dayton men’s basketball team, who said members of his team were threatened after a narrow loss in which they had held a 14-point lead at halftime.

During a post-game press conference on Tuesday, Grant emotionally criticized the effects of legalized sports betting, which launched on Jan. 1.

“There are some laws that recently have been enacted that really to me, it could change the landscape of what college sports is all about,” Grant said, according to a recording posted by the university. “And when we have people who make it about themselves and attack kids because of their own agenda, it sickens me. They have families. They don’t deserve that. Mental health is real. So if you’re a Flyer fan, I ask you to just understand that you’re dealing with young people.”

During the Tuesday news conference, Grant declined to elaborate on exactly what had prompted him to make his comments. Jessica Franks, a Casino Control Commission spokesperson, said Schuler was reacting to what Grant said publicly and hadn’t spoken with Grant or anyone else at University of Dayton to find out exactly what had happened.

“This [criticism of student athletes] has happened even before sports gaming was legalized in Ohio, but with the advent of social media its become more prevalent and easy for folks to see,” Franks said.

Weeks before sports gambling kicked off in Ohio, Ohio State University quarterback CJ Stroud reportedly received death threats from fans angry about Ohio State’s loss to rival Michigan in its final game of the 2022 regular season.

University of Dayton officials declined Thursday to elaborate on what happened. But they shared an article from the Dayton Daily News that described the “hate online” received by players.

“The University of Dayton appreciates the commission’s attention to this issue, and anything that protects the best interests of student athletes across the state is something worth exploring,” Neil Sullivan, UD’s vice-president and athletic director, said in a statement.

Ohio launched legal sports betting in January, under a bill that Gov. Mike DeWine signed in December 2021. There was a delay in implementing the program while state regulators worked to develop rules, license vendors and otherwise launch a state regulatory scheme for something that previously was illegal.

During the years of debate at the Ohio Statehouse leading up to the bill’s signing, universities had lobbied state lawmakers to exclude college sports from legalized betting, raising concerns that it could tempt student athletes or their friends, for betting purposes, to trade on performance or team-related information. University officials also said legal betting on college sports could threaten to invade student athletes’ privacy, specifically mentioning increased incentive to uncover medical information like player injuries.

Some states, like New Jersey, excluded college sports from their sports betting programs. Ohio, where the Ohio State University football team is one of its most popular sports brands, did not.

Ohio gambling law gives the casino control commission broad authority to impose a lifetime ban on “any person whose presence in a sports gaming facility or whose participation in the play or operation of sports gaming in this state is determined by the commission to pose a threat to the interests of the state.”

The relevant section of the law spells out some optional factors the casino control commission could consider, mentioning things like criminal convictions and tax evasion, but doesn’t specify threats to athletes. Franks said people generally are given a lifetime ban for issues that affect the integrity of the gambling system.

So far, the 10 people on Ohio’s involuntary exclusion list mostly involves alleged cheating or other misconduct by casino gamblers or casino employees giving out unauthorized free play.

An outspoken Republican state lawmaker, Rep. Brian Stewart of Pickaway County, in a Twitter post on Wednesday raised the possibility that banning gamblers for criticizing players could be a violation of free speech.

“The Ohio Casino Control Commission needs to get an emergency refresher on the First Amendment before publicly musing any more about government punishing private citizens for saying mean things to other private citizens. Good grief,” Stewart said.

Stewart added in a follow-up post that threatening players is illegal, but reiterated that criticizing them is not.

In other business on Wednesday, the Ohio Casino Control Commission finalized a $150,000 fine against Caesars Sportsbook, finding the company failed to include required disclaimers and improperly promoted “risk-free bets” in its advertisements.

The company’s punishment also involves promising to train its employees, according to Franks. Company lawyers said during the commission meeting that it had fired the third-party marketing vendor that produced the ad.

Andrew Tobias covers state government and politics for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Read more of his work here.