Former OSU QB & Con Man Art Schlichter Is Back In The Wild With No Gambling Restrictions

You've officially been warned, Ohioans. Former Buckeyes quarterback legend/gambling addict Art Schlichter is back on the streets after being released from an Ohio prison back in June where he was serving a sentence for a ticket scheme that stole millions from his victims.

If you don't know by now, Art (4th overall pick by the Colts in the 1982 draft) is a gambling addict who won't have gambling restrictions as part of his parole, according to the Indianapolis Star. The newspaper reports Art signed a contract that states he can't own guns, use drugs or leave Ohio without contacting a parole officer. The contract doesn't include language on sports gambling, which is Art's drug of choice.

"My advice to anyone coming upon Mr. Schlichter is that they not engage in any business transactions or any purchases or any other transactions that would involve giving him any money," Ron O'Brien, former Franklin (Ohio) County prosecutor, told the newspaper.

"(He) is a career criminal engaged in fraud as a career," O'Brien said. "He just cannot help himself. He will do this the rest of his life."

The scheme that led to Art's latest prison stay -- this time it was a federal prison -- resulted from a ticket fraud scheme where the former Ohio State quarterback promised to deliver college football and NFL tickets to clients. This included big-money Super Bowl tickets. Yep, Art didn't deliver the tickets even though he'd been paid.

That fraud resulted in an 11-year federal sentence and 10 years in an Ohio prison. Even after serving eight years in jail, Art was still having women on the outside place sports bets for him. He was also gambling on the inside. He was also running a Super Bowl ticket scam on the inside, according to prison officials. Art had an inmate's family give him money for Super Bowl Tickets.

You've been warned, Ohio.

"He is past the point of rehabilitation," Franklin County (OH) Common Pleas Judge Chris Brown told the Columbus Dispatch in 2020. "To release him now would be to subject the people of Franklin County to further criminal conduct. I have no faith he is going to get out and conduct (himself appropriately)."

Tonight will be Art's first chance to place a bet on his Buckeyes (-14) as a free man. Now he just needs to scrounge up some money.

Again, you've been warned.