In a juicy segment of [“Today in Ohio,”](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rQnoiW6Amq9zbvZoFINxz?si=18d59ce317dd4851) podcasters voiced their frustration over the Ohio Legislature unceremoniously killing a sensible proposal to fund sports without stadiums without dinging the taxpayer.
Governor Mike DeWine’s plan to increase taxes on sports betting companies to fund sports venues across the state was rejected, sparking a heated discussion about lobbying influence and legislative priorities.
Host Chris Quinn didn’t mince words when discussing the legislature’s decision: “Is there not a single person with a brain in the Statehouse to fight for Mike DeWine’s sports stadium funding plan?”
The brilliance of DeWine’s proposal, as discussed on the podcast, was its circular logic: people who bet on sports would indirectly help pay for the venues where those sports are played. This approach wouldn’t have impacted everyday Ohioans but would instead have tapped into the profits of sports betting companies already making substantial money in the state.
Laura Johnston highlighted the illogical nature of the rejection: “I can’t give you a reason because it doesn’t make a lot of sense. And we talk all the time about how we want bold ideas. We’re talking specifically about Northeast Ohio, but this was a bold idea for the entire state of Ohio.”
What makes the rejection particularly frustrating is that the revenue could have supported more than just professional sports. As Johnston noted, the plan would have created “this commission made up of bipartisan legislators that could also give money to youth sports.” This component addresses a growing concern about the declining participation in youth sports due to rising costs.
Quinn placed the blame squarely on special interests: “The people who are betting on sports will help pay for the sports stadiums that host what they’re betting on it was common sense, but these guys in the Legislature, man, they just. they get bought and paid for by lobbyists.”
The alternative now is the plan by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam to have the state borrow $600 million for their proposed covered stadium in Brook Park. Taxes generated by the project would pay back the loan, and the Haslams have offered to provide a reserve fund to make sure taxpayers don’t cover shortfalls.
DeWine’s proposal, though, would have freed up the taxes generated by the project for local governments to use.
This legislative decision raises important questions about who influences policy in Ohio. The sports betting companies argued that increasing their tax rate would “chill competition,” but Quinn dismissed this as “just nonsense,” describing sports betting as a “billion dollar plus industry” that wouldn’t abandon the Ohio market over higher taxes. The companies fully operate in states with a much higher tax rate than DeWine proposed.
The podcast discussion illuminates a troubling pattern in Ohio politics: innovative solutions that could benefit communities statewide being sacrificed to protect industry profits.
Want to hear the full heated discussion about this missed opportunity and understand why the podcast hosts believe the legislature made such a costly error? [Tune in to the complete episode of “Today in Ohio”](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rQnoiW6Amq9zbvZoFINxz?si=18d59ce317dd4851) for an unfiltered debate about Ohio’s legislative priorities and the powerful interests shaping them.
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Today in Ohio, a news podcast discussion by cleveland.com editors. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._