COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the first time, school districts across the state are required to accept cash for football game tickets.
The new law was included in the passing of Ohio House Bill 33 this summer. It took effect Oct. 3 and Friday is the first night for varsity high school football where it applies.
Some districts, like Olentangy and Groveport Madison, updated ticket purchasing policies ahead of the new school year.
At Delaware Hayes, cash is the only option and will cost $8 for entry. In Worthington, it's also $8 for entry, for both cash and online.
Tim Stried from the Ohio High School Athletic Association says in some cases you may see cash tickets cost more than digital ones.
"There are several reasons why a cash price might be more than an online price. Number one is security. If you are at a gate where there is cash being exchanged, most of the time you're going to want a police officer there. That costs money. If you have more gates that have cash, that's more officers so that's one reason in particular. The auditing piece of a cash ticket sale gate is time-consuming. That's a manpower situation,” he said.
He said for upcoming OHSAA tournaments cash tickets will cost slightly more than they will online for those reasons. He said the move to digital was a result of the pandemic.
The new law applies to concession sales as well and just this week the Ohio state auditor sent a reminder to districts and the Ohio High School Athletic Association, saying at least one concession stand at an event needs to accept cash.