Ohio Sends 10 C&D Notices Over Sports Event Contracts

The October 2 package includes several names not normally seen together in state gambling actions:

• Coinbase and Gemini;
• Robinhood, Plus500US, Moomoo and Webull;
• Polymarket US;
• Underdog Predict/Underdog Exchange;
• ProphetX;
• Novig/Ludlow Exchange.

Each recipient has 14 days to confirm compliance in writing. That puts the deadline on October 16.

The State Goes After More Than Exchanges

OCCC is not only telling companies to stop directly offering sports event contracts. Its notices also refer to participating in their offer or facilitating access to them. That can cover activity further down the chain, including soliciting or accepting orders and certain FCM or DCM functions.

The commission argues that offering these contracts to Ohio residents without a state sports-gaming licence amounts to unlicensed sports gaming. The letters also warn that administrative, civil or criminal remedies may follow.

They are still cease-and-desist notices, not findings of liability.

Robinhood Case Is Being Restarted

Robinhood is slightly different from the other nine. Ohio first sent the company a notice on March 31, 2025, but enforcement was effectively paused while the Kalshi dispute worked through federal court.

That pause is now over. The regulator points to the Sixth Circuit ruling issued September 25, which rejected Kalshi’s attempt to block Ohio and Tennessee from applying their gambling laws to sports contracts.

Robinhood’s new letter also refers to contracts routed through KalshiEX, ForecastEX and Rothera Exchange and Clearing.

Kalshi Is Not in the New Ten

That is the useful distinction from last week’s story. 15M already covered the Sixth Circuit decision and Ohio’s fight with Kalshi itself. The October 2 action moves past that case.

Kalshi is not among the ten new recipients. Instead, Ohio is now testing how far its enforcement can reach around the market: exchanges, brokers, crypto platforms and the apps that put these contracts in front of users.

The next date to watch is October 16. By then, all ten companies are expected to tell OCCC whether they will comply.

A refusal from one of the brokerage or crypto firms would make the next stage more interesting. The dispute would no longer be only about who creates a sports contract, but also who can distribute or facilitate it.