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Pete Rose, who received a lifetime suspension from Major League Baseball for betting on games he managed, has just placed the first legal sports wager in the history of the state of Ohio at Hard Rock Casino.
The new Ohio sports betting law went into effect on January 1, despite Governor Mike DeWine signing it in December 2021.
George Goldhoff, president of Hard Rock Casino, was quoted in Spectrum News 1 as saying, “Ohioans are fanatical about their sports, they truly love their sports, and we believe it will be extremely popular.”
He said, “The money that Ohioans wagered in Michigan and Indiana will all remain in the state, and the taxpayers will reap the benefits.”
After placing the wager, Rose remarked, “I don’t know nothing about odds. Go Cardinals! Go Bengals!”
In August of 1989, a probe into Rose’s alleged gambling was concluded.
According to Bleacher Report, it was discovered that Rose bet on baseball games, specifically on at least 50 Reds games in 1987, for a minimum of $10,000 each day.
Rose denied having ever placed a wager on a sport for nearly two decades. In 2004, he eventually admitted that he had placed wagers.
Rose holds the MLB record for most career hits (4,256), which he amassed over his 24-year career in the major leagues.
Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies advances to first base during the 1980 World Series in Kansas City, Missouri, against the Kansas City Royals.
Rose, whose style of play earned him the nickname “Charlie Hustle,” spent the majority of his 19-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, with brief stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos.
Rose also holds the all-time MLB marks for games played (3,562), plate appearances (15,887), and at-bats (14,053).
»Pete Rose, who received a lifetime MLB ban for gambling, makes the first legal sports bet in Ohio«