Ohio Sports Betting Sites

Ohio sports betting apps went live at the strike of midnight on January 1st, 2023. In-person sports betting launched simultaneously on the first of January in the Buckeye State. Ohio shares a border with four states that have legalized online sports betting in the past four years (IN, MI, PA, WV). 

In 2021 the Ohio Senate, and House overwhelmingly passed a bill to legalize sports betting in the state and sent it to Gov. Mike DeWine to sign. On Dec. 22, Gov. DeWine signed HB29, which stated that sports betting would become legal by no later than January 2023. The Ohio Casino Control Commission approved 22 Type A and 21 Type B licenses on Dec. 2, 2022, clearing the final hurdles to provide bettors with access to sports betting in January. 

The four casinos in the state that have access to in-person sports betting will be the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, Hollywood Casino Columbus, Hollywood Casino Toledo, and the

JACK Casino Cleveland. There were a handful of partnerships already on the books ahead of the official start date on January 1st. Bally Bet and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Barstool and Hollywood Casino Columbus, Betfred and the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, betJACK and JACK Casino & JACK Thistledown Racino, betPARX and Memorial Tournament hosted by the PGA Tour, SuperBook and FC Cincinnati and Tipico and the Columbus Crew FC.

BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, and FanDuel all began offering pre-registration before launch. All four have secured market access and will likely be joined by up to 14 other online operators. 

The language in the bill, signed by Gov. DeWine, allows for over a dozen different apps to operate within the state as well as in-person betting at the state's four casinos. Up to 18 online sportsbooks could launch in Ohio when betting goes live in January. 

Why use a Legal Sports Betting Operator?

Whilst many Ohioans may be used to online sports betting with offshore operators, the introduction of legally licensed sportsbooks that can be used within the state offer benefits not associated with offshore gambling.

• Safety of Funds

• Taxable income for the State

Safe Sports Betting

With no regulation or licensing, if you wager with an offshore operator, there are no guarantees to the safety of your funds deposited in the account, and should there be any dispute around this or payment of wins and withholding of funds, there is no recourse from within the state - You are pretty much on your own in that regard - The benefit of using a legally licensed Sportsbook tied to a land-based Casino in the Buckeye State is that strict operation regulation is in place and along with it, safety and security that the sportsbook is not going to disappear with your money without questions to answer to the government.

Ohio State Benefits

Each operator given a license to operate a retail and/or online sportsbook in the state will pay tax on revenues. Both retail and online sportsbooks will be taxed at a 10% rate. This money will feed directly into beneficial areas for the state, as stipulated by the law. The bill itself clearly states that 98% of proceeds will fund education and youth sports. The other 2% has been allocated for problem gambling assistance.

Which Online Sportsbooks are Available?

The launch was January 1st, 2023. In-person betting at the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, Hollywood Casino Columbus, Hollywood Casino Toledo, and the

JACK Casino Cleveland will available on launch day. It is believed that 14 sportsbooks could join BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, and FanDuel, who have already begun offering pre-registration before launch. DraftKings, Barstool Sportsbook, PointsBet, Unibet, Tipico, Bally Bet, and betJACK are all believed to be prepared for launch day, ironing out final details in December 2022.

In-person visits to brick-and-mortar casinos are not a requirement to register and verify an account. After launch, you will be able to complete the online registration and be able to manage all deposits and withdrawals the same way.

Registering for an online betting account in Ohio is as simple as providing personal details and setting up security. Let's take you through the steps. You may be able to find a deposit match bonus to get you going.

You do not have to be resident in the state of Ohio to have an online betting account, but you will have to be within state boundaries and geolocation tracking on your mobile to prove that you are when registering, funding or making wagers

4 Simple Steps to Register Online

1. Hit a SEE OFFER button on the betting site of your choice 
2. Enter your personal details, Name Age, address Etc
3. Set up security info - password etc
4. Make your first deposit

That's it, you are registered, funded, and ready to place your first online wagers.

Ohio has two things going for it right away, a sports-crazed populus and tax codes that should draw interest from dozens of sports betting apps.

How much will Legal Sports Betting in Ohio be Worth

Tax rates of 10% for both retail and online operators pale in comparison to other states like New Hampshire and Rhode Island that impose a 51% tax on operator revenue. The PlayOhio organization, a resource, and ThinkTank focused on sports gambling research, projects that Ohio sports betting could generate $8 billion in bets in 2023. That amount would put Ohio among the biggest markets in the U.S. overnight. If Ohio’s sportsbooks experience a typical margin (7.1%), Ohio operators could expect revenue between $650 million and $850 million. That would generate north of $50 in tax revenue annually. 

Historical Sports Betting Handles in Ohio

This is where we will keep you up to date with the Sports betting Handle in Ohio as the figures are released publicly.

Professional and collegiate sports can be wagered on in Ohio with a wide choice of betting options. Currently, there are no provisions barring bettors from placing wagers on colleges or universities located within the state.

Additionally, there are a wide range of sports and types of bet to choose from with online sportsbook apps in the state upon launch day. This is a short list, there are many more available, including major college sports with competitive betting markets.

Collegiate Betting

College team betting is HUGE! How Huge? Well, more money will be wagered on the college games at March Madness than is on the Superbowl each year!! That HUGE! And Ohio has a huge collegiate sports scene.

At present, there are no restrictions on collegiate betting in Ohio.

Thankfully the Best Sportsbooks for March Madness betting are listed on this page, so take a look at the offers and select whichever bonus you like the look of.

Look out for our College Football Betting Guide too.

Live Betting

Talking of March Madness, my favorite sport for Live betting is basketball. The speed and ebb and flow of the action make watching and betting at the same time both exciting and throw up a lot of opportunities to find bets you might be able to find before the tip-off.

Live betting is legal, popular, and readily available at most online sportsbooks in Michigan. So to get in the thick of the action, find the Best Sportsbook for Live Betting. And find out the Types of wagers you can make this way

Without federal laws for sports wagering, states are left to experiment and set their own tax revenue structures. Some states tax sportsbooks as high as 50% and others as low as 6.75%, according to the American Action Forum.

States with authorized sports wagering tend to tax in the 10-15% range, with nuances added from there. Some states deduct promotional bets, while others require disclosure, per Bloomberg Tax.

OLBG looked at how much tax revenue states generated from commercial gambling during 2021 and how that revenue compares to 2020. Data comes from the American Gaming Association and various news media outlets, with the tax total reflecting specific state and local taxes applied directly to gaming revenue. Data does not include billions of dollars paid annually by the industry via income, sales, other corporate taxes, or payroll taxes paid by gaming operators and suppliers. The national list is made up of the top 10 highest-earning states.

Ohio by the numbers

- 2021 tax revenue: $759.3 million
- 2020 tax revenue: $487.9 million
- Year-over-year change: 55.6%

Ohio legalized sports gambling in late 2021. Several sportsbooks launched in January 2023. Operators pay a 10% tax rate.

A sports gaming profits education fund gets 98% of that revenue, with the rest supporting and alleviating sports wagering addiction. The state also charges for a variety of licenses. More legal options should come to the state soon.

In seven of the top 10 states nationally, sports gambling is legal in some capacity. Every jurisdiction in the U.S. with commercial casino or sports betting operations reported an increase in gaming revenue between 2020 and 2021; 23 of 43 jurisdictions saw record annual commercial gaming revenue in 2021, according to the AGA.

The biggest gains in gaming revenue alone were documented in Tennessee and Michigan, each of which reported the first full year of sports betting revenue. Eight of the 10 states that gained the most tax revenue from commercial gambling overall in 2021 are located in the East or Midwest.

The Supreme Court in 2018 found the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act unconstitutional, effectively eliminating the federal law that had halted authorized sports wagering across the country and leaving it up to individual states to determine rules for sports betting.

Fast-forward to 2021, when commercial gaming revenue in the United States topped $53 billion. Gambling generated nearly $11.7 billion in tax revenue for the 33 states (and Washington D.C.) with some form of legalized sports betting, according to data from the American Gaming Association.

Twenty-four states and Washington, D.C., allow mobile sports betting activity, as of March 2023. Florida took legal online sports bets from November to December 2021, until a federal judge struck down the agreement. The state has halted legal sports gaming for now. Maine, Massachusetts, and Nebraska are some of the states that recently legalized sports betting in some way. Those states are expected to roll out plans, projects, or further regulatory actions in 2023.

Read on to find out the five highest-ranked states that earn the most tax revenue from commercial gaming.

States that earn the most tax revenue from commercial gaming

#1. Pennsylvania: $2.0 billion in tax revenue from commercial gaming in 2021
#2. New York: $1.1 billion in tax revenue from commercial gaming in 2021
#3. Nevada: $1.0 billion in tax revenue from commercial gaming in 2021
#4. Maryland: $814.4 million in tax revenue from commercial gaming in 2021
#5. Ohio: $759.3 million in tax revenue from commercial gaming in 2021

The in-person registration requirement has been dropped in nearly every U.S. state, which means you can register for a new account online using mobile betting apps. This also includes all account management including deposits and withdrawals being made online too.

This is great news for bettors who can now fully manage their online sportsbook account at their own convenience with remote registration.

This flexibility extends to depositing and withdrawing your sports betting accounts with legal sportsbooks. Take a look at these banking options

Credit & Debit Cards

A sticking point in the Ohio sports betting bill was that players would be unable to fund their accounts using credit cards. The idea being that betting with money you do not have is a slippery slope for problem gamblers. Please see our guide to responsible gambling for more information.

Debit cards are a far better option and funds are available instantly in most cases. Withdrawals will often be processed by the sportsbook within 24 hours using this method, but depending on your bank, it could take up to 5 business days to receive your funds back to your physical account.

For quicker withdrawal methods, read on.

eWallet Solutions

E-Wallets for depositing and withdrawing from your mobile betting account include well-known brands such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill. instant deposits and withdrawals within 24 hours re typical and in most cases, there are no fees to be paid. Double check if you want to make multiple transactions this way, as fees can be introduced if this method is abused.

Prepaid Cards

Quite often sportsbooks and casinos offer their own branded pre-paid cards. You can load them up and make deposits and withdrawals with them quickly and be able to access the cash from ATMs. A superb addition to online money management that will work seamlessly with most betting sites in Ohio. 

ACH Wire Transfer

Using a bank transfer can be a convenient way of funding your betting account. Do check for fees however, which may vary by bank, and transactions can sometimes take time to clear on both deposits and withdrawals

PayNearMe

A barcode scanning option where you can deposit cash using relevant retailers such as 7-Eleven.

Cash 

If you are close to the physical casino partnered with your online sportsbook, you can make deposits directly into your account using cash at the cash cage in the casino. Likewise, you will be able to withdraw in the same manner.

Minimum Deposit & Maximum Withdrawals

You'll find all sportsbooks will have a minimum deposit requirement, but they generally around $10, which is not prohibitive.

Also, be aware of when using deposit methods if any negate the qualification of welcome bonuses. Also, check the wagering requirements of any offer.

Being able to make deposits online also negates the necessity of a visit to a physical sportsbook to make a cash deposit.