CLEVELAND — Three years ago at this time, Ohio was preparing to enter into the world of sports betting that would launch January 1, 2023, becoming the 32nd state to offer it. It also marked the state’s entry into mobile gambling, with sports betting on your phone, something that roughly 98 percent of bettors would eventually do. There was talk of expanding it, as other neighboring states had and would do to include iGaming.

Three years later, those talks have subsided, especially in the wake of two sports betting scandals involving Major League Baseball and the NBA that resulted in federal charges against players in both leagues with ties to Northeast Ohio — Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, and NBA player Terry Rozier from Shaker Heights.

"It's been a very concerning mon

See Full Page