iDEA Meeting Recap: Ohio Lawmakers at NCLGS
December 16, 2025
iDEA met with Rep. Bride Sweeney (Vice Chair of the House Finance Committee) and Dani Issacsohn (Minority Leader). A variety of issues were discussed, including consumer protection, impact of land-based gaming, and revenue potential. iDEA members in attendance included: DraftKings, FanDuel, Bally’s, Aristocrat, Playtech and GeoComply.
Leader Issacsohn called himself an “iGaming skeptic”, but said he’s become more open to it based on the education efforts of iDEA and others. Rep. Sweeney believes that iGaming should be considered because of the state’s need for tax revenues, however, Democrats and Republicans are divided on how those dollars should be spent. While Democrats are in the minority in both the House and Senate, we believe securing their support for iGaming is essential for future passage.
Prospects for a bill are not great next session due to the current Governor’s strong opposition to any gambling expansion. John Pappas also had productive conversations with Senators Nathan Manning (iGaming bill sponsor) and Bill DeMora who echoed the likely difficulty in moving a bill next session.
iDEA’s lobbyist has been monitoring the various gaming bills being considered and is also meeting with lawmakers on our behalf.