Vivek Ramaswamy declined to tell Ohio voters whether he supports expanding gambling in the state after a reporter directly confronted him with the gambling-industry money helping finance the effort to elect him governor.
“Where are you on expanded gambling?” Statehouse News Bureau chief Karen Kasler asked Ramaswamy during an interview recorded Sept. 3 and published Friday. “Since actually gambling interests have been donating to get you elected.”
Ramaswamy did not say whether he supports or opposes gambling expansion.
“I’m going to take a fresh look and a fresh perspective to this whole discussion,” Ramaswamy responded.
Ramaswamy went on to say he would listen to lawmakers on both sides of the issue and wanted to protect young Ohioans from addiction. But he never stated whether he supports legalizing online casino gambling or otherwise expanding gambling in Ohio.
The question comes as a gambling-industry organization advocating for expanded online gambling has poured $650,000 into the super PAC supporting Ramaswamy’s election.
The Sports Betting Alliance gave $500,000 to V-PAC: Victors, Not Victims in 2025, then contributed another $150,000 in January 2026, according to federal campaign-finance filings reviewed by Signal Ohio.
V-PAC was formed by Ramaswamy allies and has spent money supporting his campaign for governor. The Federal Election Commission identifies the group as an unauthorized independent-expenditure-only committee, commonly known as a super PAC. The contributions did not go directly to Ramaswamy’s campaign, and federal law prohibits independent expenditure committees from coordinating their spending with candidates.
The Sports Betting Alliance is not simply an industry trade organization with a passive interest in Ohio policy. It says it is dedicated to expanding legal, regulated online sports betting and online casino gaming and lists Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel among its members.
The group has also gone directly to Ohio lawmakers to push for gambling expansion.
In May 2025, Sports Betting Alliance representative Scott Ward testified before the Ohio House Finance Committee in support of legalizing internet casino gambling.
“I am here in support of legalization of igaming in Ohio,” Ward told lawmakers.
The alliance argued that legal online casino games would provide consumer protections, move gamblers away from illegal websites and generate additional tax revenue for the state.
That policy question is not hypothetical. Ohio lawmakers are currently considering competing proposals that would dramatically expand the types of gambling available online.
House Bill 298 would legalize and regulate internet gambling in Ohio and levy a tax on businesses offering it. Senate Bill 197 would also legalize internet gambling while permitting internet lottery gaming and online wagering on horse racing.
Neither bill has passed the General Assembly. But if lawmakers approve gambling-expansion legislation during the next gubernatorial administration, Ohio’s governor could ultimately be asked to sign or veto it.
Ramaswamy has had months to establish where he stands.
Signal Ohio reported in April that Ramaswamy had not publicly taken a position on sports betting as gambling-industry money flowed into V-PAC. A Ramaswamy spokesperson did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment at the time.
The September interview gave Ramaswamy a direct opportunity to answer the question himself — on camera and immediately after Kasler explicitly raised the financial support from gambling interests.
He instead promised a “fresh look.”
Earlier in the same interview, Ramaswamy had stressed the importance of candidates answering questions from voters.
“I do think it’s really important that candidates actually take voter questions and tell the voters where we’re at,” he said.
On gambling expansion, Ramaswamy still did not tell voters where he is.
Ramaswamy’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment from TiffinOhio.net.
