? Online Gambling Ohio

Ohio joined the legal online sports betting market in 2023. In addition to online and retail sports betting, you can find other types of online gambling in Ohio. There are also plenty of retail options for those who don’t want to play online. Let’s check out what’s available for Ohioans.

? Ohio Casinos

The Buckeye State has land-based casinos which Ohio residents and others frequent. You can play all kinds of casino games at the retail casinos and they are located in several cities across the state.

Online players have access to social casinos only in Ohio. Social and sweepstakes casinos are great options for those you want to play slots and table games for free; the game features are all the same but they don’t cost you anything.

Those wanting to play at BetMGM Online Casino or BetRivers Online Casino in Ohio will have to wait as the state has not legalized real money online casino sites. There are also no plans to extend online gambling to include online casinos at the moment.

Retail Casinos in Ohio

Ohio doesn’t have legal online real money casino sites yet, but the state does have a vibrant retail casino industry with 4 casinos and 7 racetrack casinos operating at the major population centers like Columbus and Cleveland.

The land-based casinos carry table games, slot machines, poker rooms, and video poker; you can try out games like Mini Baccarat and Mississippi Stud. The racinos are limited to operating slot machine video lottery terminals. The legal gambling age for real money games in casinos is 21 years.

Hollywood Casino in Ohio opened on October 8, 2012. The casino property has 1,892 slots, 65 table games, and 18 poker tables. The slot games’ payout percentage was 92.24% in 2021, while the table games’ payout was 77.70% from 83 games.

Ohio Casino Control Law

Land-based casinos were not legal in Ohio before 2009. Instead, Ohio casino gamblers visited casinos in nearby Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan. In November 2009, Ohio voters approved four casinos to be established in the state, one each in Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

The consitutional amendment and casino control law required each licensed casino operator to pay an upfront license fee of $50 million per casino for workforce development. The casinos had to set aside at least $250 million for the development of each retail casino facility.

Ohio Casino Control Commission

The amendment also created the Ohio Casino Control Commission to license and regulate casino operators, management companies, key employees, casino gaming employees and gaming-related vendors. 2% of Ohio casino revenue goes towards problem gambling and addiction funds while 51% of the revenue is meant for county funds.

Ohio Casino Control Commission is located at 100 E Broad St Fl 20, Columbus, OH 43215-3688 and has some other centers in the state as well.

Casino Licensing in Ohio

The Casino Control Law in Ohio requires every person conducting or participating in casino gaming to be licensed. As per the Division of Licensing and Investigations rules, license applicants include casino operators, management companies, gaming-related vendors, key employees, and casino gaming employees.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission publishes a monthly list of licensed operators and individuals in the state.

Table Games Rules

Ohio casinos are required to prominently publish a copy of the rules and payoff schedules for any Commission-approved table game if requested by a gambling patron. Each casino also has to clearly publish summary versions of these rules on their websites and apps. In short, all gambling is regulated and all rules are easily accessible.

Casinos in Ohio are legally regulated by the Casino Control Commission.

Online Casinos

Although online sports betting is now legal, online casino gaming not going to be legalized soon. The success of neighboring Michigan and Pennsylvania online casinos doesn’t seem to be influencing the lawmakers, so players might have to wait for a long time before they can play on the top US online casinos.

Ohio Online Casino No Deposit Bonus

Instead of playing for real money, players have the option to play on sweepstakes and social casinos online in the state. There are many sweepstakes casinos online which accept players from Ohio and much of the USA. At these social casinos you play with free coins instead of real money, making the no deposit bonus casino operators. On sweepstakes sites, you can claim cash prizes after you have collected enough sweeps coins.

? Ohio Sports Betting

Ohio online sports betting launched on the 1st of January, 2023. The sports betting law allows up to 25 mobile licenses, which have been issued to professional sports teams, leagues, casinos and racinos. In addition, up to 40 licenses can be issued to operators who want to set up retail betting.

Other key details include 10% tax rate, betting on eSports is allowed, and operators are not required to get official league data for live bet settlement – unlike some other states like Michigan. You can also find betting kiosks in the state. The best mobile sportsbooks in the nation have opened up shop in Ohio to date.

• BetMGM Online Sportsbook Ohio
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• BetRivers Sportsbook
• Bet365 Sportsbook
• SuperBook Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Bally Bet
• Betfred
• Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook
• BetJACK Sportsbook
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• Betr Sportsbook
• Tipico
• Underdog
• Betway Sportsbook
• ESPN Bet
• Betly Sportsbook
• betPARX
• Prime Sportsbook

Legalization Timeline

• January 1, 2023: Despite some early controversy, Ohio opens online sports betting.
• Late 2022: The universal start date is slated to be January 1, 2023. Online sportsbooks might launch well before the date, but not by a wide margin. Some popular sports betting companies have entered into partnerships with professional sports teams in Ohio.
• Fall 2022: Sports gaming applications that are either incomplete or received outside of the application window are not guaranteed consideration in time to begin operations on January 1, 2023 as per the OCCC regulations. The Commission also publishes a list of criminal offenses for which a conviction, or a plea of guilty, may disqualify an individual from obtaining an initial license issued by the Commission.
• Summer 2022: Ohio has also received considerable interest in type C licensing. Type C license holder can be a bar or tavern that wishes to offer sports gaming using self-service or clerk or kiosk operated sports gaming terminals located at the establishment. Some grocery chains in the state apply for type C licenses.
• June 15-July 15, 2022: The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) accepts applications for most sports betting licenses. However, the Commission will continue to accept applications after the universal start date application deadline. Betting operators like BetMGM, FanDuel, BetJACK, Fanatics, PointsBet, and DraftKings have already applied for Ohio betting licenses.
• Winter 2022: Ohio Casino Control Commission begins to draft rules and regulations for the sports betting industry in Ohio.
• December 22, 2021: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs HB29 into law; Gov. DeWine was an outspoken supporter of online sports betting during the process.
• December 8, 2021: Both Ohio House of Representatives and the Senate vote to pass sports betting legalization; both retail and online operations are approved.
• December 6, 2021: The chambers come to an agreement on the sports betting bill, with all Type A licensees guaranteed at least one skin.
• November, 2021: Senator Schuring is hopeful the Senate and House can resolve their differences on betting legislation; the key issue is the number of mobile licenses.
• June 16, 2021: The Senate passes SB176 following amendments to the bill; the House will not vote on the issue before the Summer break.
• May 12, 2021: Sen. Kirk Schuring introduces SB176, which offers up to 40 betting licenses split between mobile and retail operators. Casinos, sport teams, and lottery retailers all oppose the bill.
• 2018-2021: Several attempts by Ohio legislators to reach agreement on sports betting; no luck thus far.
• May, 2018: SCOTUS strikes down Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), letting states set up their own online wagering legislations.

Retail Sports Betting

You visit several retail sportsbooks in Ohio, which are located at some of the casinos and racinos in addition to sports venues. You can also bet on a horse race in Ohio, as racetracks and off-track betting are available.

Type C betting license covers betting at kiosks. Popular grocery giants in Ohio like Kroger and Acme Fresh Market have received a type C certification. Over 1,100 retailers have been preapproved for type C licensing.

Horse Racing

Horse racing has been legal in Ohio since 1933, and it’s regulated by the Ohio State Racing Commission. The Ohio Racing Commission also regulates harness racing. The legislation approves pari-mutuel wagering at seven live horse racing racinos in the state.

Off-track betting is also available, and online horse race betting is allowed through sites such as TVG and TwinSpires, which offer a welcome bonus to new bettors. Out of the main online sportsbook operators, BetMGM already has their horse racing site up in Ohio.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports was legalized by then-governor John Kasich in 2018, and it is regulated by the Ohio Casino Control Commission. Most major DFS sites such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fantasy Draft operate in Ohio.

? Ohio Lottery Games

Ohio Lottery sells tickets for lottery games like Mega Millions, Powerball, and Lucky for Life, as well as five intrastate games: Classic Lotto, Rolling Cash 5, Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 5. Online lottery is however not permitted yet and all lottery tickets must be purchased from brick-and-mortar retailers.

? Responsible Gambling in Ohio

The state of Ohio tackles gambling addiction with the Ohio for Responsible Gambling (ORG) organization. ORG brings together the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), the Ohio Lottery Commission, and the Ohio Racing Commission.

Prevention strategies, education, awareness, and National Promblem Gambling Helpline (1-800-GAMBLER) are some of the options for those addicted to gambling. Players have the option to seek help from various agencies. They can also put themselves on the self-exclusion list to stop gambling.

Casino owners and operators in Ohio are required to create, update, and maintain responsible gambling plans. Each casino has to have the helpline number on all promotional materials, player reward cards (loyalty programs), and ATMs on retail property.

As per the commission’s 2021 report, Ohio has over 5k self-excluded persons from gambling (Voluntary Exclusion Program or VEP) which is the highest in America.

Responsible gaming is taken very seriously in Ohio. This data shows voluntary excluded persons in the state.

Last updated: 07/26/2024