Cincinnati has seen a spate of violent incidents at youth sports events over the last few months, and one city councilman has an interesting cause: sports betting.
After seeing gunfire at a high school stadium in September and a shooting at a high school football game in October, Councilman Scotty Johnson blamed the violence on betting. The former police officer said that some were wagering on youth sports, and that was leading to violent acts.
“Community, stop betting on our children, because that’s really what’s taking place,” he said. “And that’s why Cincinnati police have stepped away. You cannot have youth football games where three, four, five thousand dollar bets are taking place. People are dying for a lot less money.”
No Proof To Back Up Accusations
Johnson did not provide evidence to support his assertions, and other area leaders told local media that they were unaware of what the councilman described as a major problem.
Ohio law prohibits people from betting on high school sports, and comes at a time when Gov. Mike DeWine has been critical of the industry and sought to double the tax rate on betting operators from 20% to 40%.
That effort ultimately failed, and legislators approved an amended state budget without DeWine’s tax increase request.
Betting on high school events isn’t actually unheard of.
An offshore sportsbook drew some controversy in December after offering betting lines on a Texas high school football championship game between Austin Westlake and Fort Worth North Crowley. Westlake athletic director Callan Nokes was critical of BetOnline adding the event to its wagering menu.
“I don’t think gambling should be associated with high school football,” Nokes told Yahoo Sports. “It’s one thing if dads are making friendly little wagers that no one knows about. That’s between them. But when it gets to be corporate and it’s offshore gambling, to me that’s a more serious thing with a lot more money exchanging hands.”
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