The number of Ohio unclaimed funds paid out nearly tripled during the 2026 fiscal year, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. This comes after Ohio lawmakers and the governor decided to tap that money to fund sports stadiums.

There were 884,912 claims filed for $746.50 million during the 2026 fiscal year, said Ohio Department of Commerce Spokesperson Reagan Reetz. 

Of those, 184,083 claims were paid out for $182.57 million during the most recent fiscal year, she said. 

In fiscal year 2025, there were 68,787 claims paid out totaling $109.73 million, Reetz said. 

It’s been a little over a year since Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine approved using $1 billion of the state’s unclaimed funds to help Ohio professional sport teams pay for new stadiums or improvements through the state’s two-year operating budget. 

Of that money, $600 million of unclaimed funds have already been spoken for and will go to the Cleveland Browns’ new domed stadium in Brook Park — about 15 miles south of downtown Cleveland. 

The remaining $400 million is set aside for other qualifying projects as determined by the Ohio Office of Budget and Management and the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. 

Twenty-two applicants are trying to get a slice of the $400 million for their facilities, according to the Ohio Office of Budget and Management. 

Eight of those applicants have been denied — narrowing the list down to 14. 

Teams with facilities still in the running include the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Cavaliers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Cleveland Guardians, and FC Cincinnati. 

The budget allows the state to take existing unclaimed funds that are at least 10 years old as of Jan. 1, 2026, and put them into the Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility Performance Grant Fund. It also gives property owners until 2036 to make a claim even if their money was previously transferred to the state.

Ohio’s unclaimed funds is money that is property of Ohioans held by the state for things like forgotten bank accounts, rent or utility deposits, or uncashed insurance policies. An initiated claim is when someone submits a form to claim their funds. Additional documents are needed to prove ownership of the funds. 

Ohio’s unclaimed funds is worth close to $5 billion, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. 

Two former Ohio Democratic lawmakers — former state Rep. Jeff Crossman and former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann — filed a class action lawsuit against the state’s plan to use unclaimed funds for the new Browns stadium at the end of last year. 

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Magistrate Jennifer Hunt granted a preliminary injunction blocking the state from taking unclaimed funds to help pay for the Browns stadium earlier this year. 

But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit sided with the state.  

The Cleveland Browns broke ground on the new stadium earlier this year and it is expected to be ready for the 2029 season, according to the NFL.  

Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X or on Bluesky.

This story is republished from the Ohio Capital Journal under a Creative Commons license. View the original article.