Ohio the First State to Offer Blocking of Gambling Websites

• Daniel Horvat
• December 11, 2023

Time Out Ohio (TOO), a service that provides individuals with the opportunity to ban themselves from Ohio’s brick and mortar casinos and racinos, has teamed up with Gamban to offer blocking of access to online gambling websites. Ohio is the first US state to offer such a service.

Ohio problem gamblers can now use TOO and Gamban to exclude themselves from all land-based and online gambling facilities, not only regulated sportsbooks but also offshore casinos and any other gambling verticals such as CFDs or binary options.

With the legalization of online and live sports betting in January 2023, there has been some concern among mental health experts over the possibility of a jump in the number of problem gamblers statewide. About ten months into legal sports betting in Ohio, those who help people struggling with gambling addiction have seen an increased need for their services. The Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline received 754 contacts in May, compared to 523 last May, when legal sports betting was not live. In the fiscal year 2023, 67,713 Ohioans were screened for Gambling Disorder and 1,139 received treatment.

An estimate suggests that 0.9 percent of residents or about 76,400 people are problem gamblers, up from 0.4 percent or about 46,200 in 2012. An estimated 1.4% of Ohio adults (125,000) are believed to manifest a gambling problem.

It’s important to note that online casino gambling is, unlike sportsbooks, still unregulated by the state of Ohio, so many players visit offshore casinos. Gamban also blocks access to these casinos and will block access to regulated ones if they will exist in the future.

Ohio broke the U.S. all-time record for monthly sports betting volume in its first month of legal access to sportsbooks, taking over $1.1 billion in bets in January 2024. There were 11.3 million transactions over the New Year’s weekend, which was more than any other state. Over the next two days, approximately 784,000 unique accounts were created with 16 online sportsbook operators.

The state’s year-to-date tally is now over $5.2 billion in betting volume. It’s projected that Ohio sports betting could generate $8 billion in bets in 2023. In October 2023, Ohio sports betting handle came in at $746.3 million, the second largest amount wagered in the state’s 10-month history. The most popular sports for online sports betting in Ohio are football and basketball. These two sports usually account for about 33% of the state’s handle.

Gamban is an existing solution that offers gambling-blocking software, and offers a free-of-charge solution to individuals seeking protection from online gambling. The initiative was taken by Time Out Ohio (TOO), an organization that offers individuals the ability to ban themselves from Ohio’s brick and mortar casinos and racinos. TOO teamed up with Gamban to extend this self-exclusion to online gambling platforms as well.

Gamban software blocks access to over 60,000 gambling websites and apps worldwide. It provides an effective aid for any individual looking to self-ban from gambling, free-of-charge. This partnership marks Ohio as the first state in the US to offer this kind of support and protection.

Jimmie Hicks, Deputy Director of Responsible Gambling at Ohio Lottery Commission, stated that a one-year Gamban subscription is being offered at no cost to anyone looking for protection from mobile sports betting and other online gambling. After the one-year free subscription, a yearly Gamban subscription costs around $30.

Matt Zarb-Cousin (pictured), co-founder of Gamban, praised Time Out Ohio for its proactive approach in helping individuals at risk, especially at a time when mobile sports betting across the US is growing rapidly.

This initiative represents a significant step forward in promoting responsible gambling and providing support to those struggling with gambling addiction in Ohio.

Gamban maintains a database of gambling websites and apps worldwide, not just those regulated in Ohio. It blocks access to a wide range of online gambling platforms, including but not limited to: poker, casinos, sports betting, table games, esports, and even skin gambling.

In addition to these, Gamban also blocks certain trading platforms that offer speculative, high-risk products and services in volatile markets, such as CFDs, cryptocurrency trading platforms, binary options and forex trading.

It’s important to note that once Gamban is installed on a device, it’s not possible to choose what content is blocked; all gambling content will be blocked. So, it’s not just casinos, but a broad spectrum of online gambling and certain trading platforms. This comprehensive approach helps provide a safety net for users looking to self-exclude from such activities.

Gamban is not limited to Ohio residents. It’s a global service that blocks access to gambling websites and apps worldwide. So, regardless of where you are in the world, you can use Gamban to block online gambling on your devices.

Gamban has been expanding its operational remit. For instance, it has partnered with PayPal to block gambling transactions in selected territories. While there’s no specific information about Gamban’s plans to expand into other U.S. states, its partnership with Time Out Ohio could serve as a model for similar initiatives in other states and it represents Gamban’s entrance into the lucrative US gambling market.

There are several other programs similar to Gamban that people in the U.S. and around the world can use to help manage and control their online gambling activities. Here are a few:
BetBlocker: This is a free tool to help you control your gambling. Install it on as many devices as you like and you can block yourself from accessing over 13,600 gambling websites.
BetFilter: An anti-gambling software which blocks access to gambling websites; when you select a gambling website it does not allow the website to open and displays Page Not Found.
Freedom: A simple productivity software that enables users to block certain websites on their computer, tablet, or phone.
GamBlock: Blocks access to online gambling. GamBlock uses sophisticated analyses that block new gambling sites and software, unlike other programs that require constant updating of website lists, thus eliminating a potentially vulnerable time for users