Ohio Regulator Orders 10 Prediction Markets to Halt Sports Contracts

Ohio’s gaming regulator has told 10 prediction market operators to stop offering sports event contracts in the state. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) sent cease-and-desist letters dated October 2 to companies including Polymarket, Robinhood, Coinbase and Underdog.

Each has until October 16 to confirm compliance in writing or face possible fines. The letters land one week after the Sixth Circuit ruled that federal law doesn’t shield these contracts from Ohio gaming law.

The 10 Prediction Market Operators on Ohio’s List

The letters went out on Friday, October 2, and these are the 10 recipients:

For nine of these companies, this is a first notice. Robinhood is the exception. Its letter reasserts a cease-and-desist the OCCC first issued on March 31, 2025.

One notable name is missing. Kalshi, the plaintiff in the Sixth Circuit case, isn’t among the recipients.

The letters were signed by OCCC Interim Executive Director Andromeda Morrison.

What the OCCC Wants by October 16

The ask is simple. Recipients have 14 days to confirm in writing that they’ve complied.

The commission’s legal position is blunt. The OCCC treats these contracts as unregulated “gaming and bookmaking,” which is a felony under Ohio law. One line from the letter sums it up: “Plainly stated, (the prediction market company) is operating online sports gaming.”

Missing the deadline could get expensive. The OCCC may pursue “all legal remedies and actions.” That includes civil penalties or fines “equal to the money or value of property” a company obtained from sports event contracts.

In other words, the potential fine scales with how much business an operator did in Ohio.

How the Sixth Circuit Ruling Set Up Ohio’s Move

The timing traces back to September 25. That day, the Sixth Circuit decided KalshiEx LLC v. Schuler. The court held that federal law doesn’t preempt Ohio gaming law for sports event contracts. It also found the contracts aren’t swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act. Tennessee is covered by the ruling, too.

You can read about that decision and its potential path to the high court in the Sixth Circuit ruling against Kalshi.

Ohio officials moved quickly to use it. Governor Mike DeWine had already made his view known. After the ruling, he said prediction markets “are really gambling, nothing more than that.”

Ohio’s Running Fight With Prediction Markets

This dispute didn’t start last month. Ohio has regulated sports betting since January 1, 2023.

The state began acting against prediction markets in March 2025. Robinhood’s original cease-and-desist came that month. Kalshi sued Ohio in 2025, and Ohio fined Kalshi $5 million in April.

Ohio isn’t alone. Michigan, Nevada and Washington have also restricted certain event contracts. Federal regulators blocked Michigan’s effort to unwind Kalshi sports trades. Also, Nevada extended Kalshi’s ban in the state.

The bigger question is still open. A potential Supreme Court review looms over the whole category.

Why Ohio’s Crackdown Matters for Sports Bettors

Ohio bettors have had a regulated sports betting market since 2023. The OCCC now says sports event contracts belong under the same gambling laws. With a federal appeals court ruling behind it, the commission is treating these platforms as unregulated bookmaking.

If you use one of these 10 apps to trade on games in Ohio, watch for changes after October 16. The outcome here could also shape how other states respond.