Legal Online Sports Betting in Ohio: Where to Bet

January 1st 2023 is set to be a groundbreaking day for the gambling world, as sports betting in Ohio is set to become legal. With not long left until that day comes, it's time that we at HowToBet give you guys some guidance on Ohio sports betting. Particularly, where to bet in Ohio. Ohio will become the next state where you can get involved with legal online gambling in the US.

Most Recent Updates on Sports Betting in Ohio

• August 23rd 2022: Four more companies apply for licenses for online sports gambling in Ohio. The OCCC (Ohio Casino Control Commission) confirmed that MaximBet, Prophet Exchange, and Digital Gaming Corp. all completed applications to serve as the second mobile management services provider for a proprietor. 
• WynnBet became the first sportsbook/operator to not be guaranteed a day 1 place after their late deadline.
• August 17th, 2022: The OCCC approved its first batch of Type C sports betting licenses.
• August 10th, 2022: Kroger (supermarket chain), and Acme Fresh Market have applied for “Type C” licenses. Which would allow them to have sports betting kiosks in Ohio. Kroger has been pre-approved for these betting kiosks at around 40 stores across the state. Acme has been pre-approved at nine locations. 
• August 9th, 2022: Ohioan boxer Jake Paul announced the creation of Betr. Betr has potential to launch in Ohio on January 1st, 2023.
• August 3rd, 2022: The OCCC announced plans for sports betting to go live in Ohio on New Year’s Day 2023 at 12:01 a.m. ET. 
• July 25th, 2022: Ohio began accepting applications from bars and restaurants that want a sports gambling kiosk. With many being pre-approved 
• April 13th, 2022: Ohio project massive $1.1 bn revenue in first year of trading. 
• December 22nd, 2021: Governor DeWine officially signs the Ohio sports betting bill into Ohio law.
• December 8th, 2021: Ohio lawmakers approve the sports betting legislation. The passage of House Bill 29 allows for bets on college games and professional games. Ohio will also allow wagering on Olympic sports, horse racing, motorsports events, and esports. The OCCC (Ohio Casino Control Commission) will regulate sports betting. 

Is Sports Betting Legal in Ohio Right Now? 

Right now, sports betting in Ohio is sadly illegal but as we’ve just mentioned- this is about to change! A week after Christmas this year, not only do we have New Year to celebrate, we also have the arrival of Ohio sports betting! 

Ohioans are some of the most passionate, sports crazed people in the country and the legalization of sports betting will most definitely excite a lot of their citizens. That being said, there is a high chance that many Ohioans will have little gambling experience- if this is you, keep reading and check out some of our other guides to learn how to bet on sports. 

Sportsbooks will begin to launch in the state from January 1st 2023, this is a universal launch date which includes online, mobile and retail betting. The OCCC (Ohio Casino Control Commission) plans to spend the remainder of 2022 preparing to manage the new industry. The date was announced back in June. 

Which Sports Betting Operators Might Come to Ohio?

22 businesses have applied to launch mobile sportsbooks on January 1st, these applications are from the Type-A proprietors who hold the licenses to 40+ sportsbooks. These businesses are retail casinos and sports teams.

There is potential for as many as 25 sportsbooks to launch in Ohio from day 1. The day 1 application process had a deadline of July 15th and any application to come in since will not be guaranteed to have the same launch date. 

There are three types of Ohio sports betting licenses.

• Type A: Mobile and online sports betting apps, such as Caesars and PointsBet;
• Type B: Retail sports betting establishments such as casinos and racinos;
• Type C: Sports betting kiosks available to select bars and restaurants.

Let's take a look at the current application status:

Sports Teams:

Ohio Casinos:

Barstool Sportsbook will take control of Penn National’s four retail sportsbooks. Miami Valley and Belterra Park are both yet to confirm mobile or retail partners. If we were to hazard a guess, we’d assume that the two partnerless operators: FanDuel and Gamewise will be partnering with them. 

The owner of both FanDuel and Belterra, Boyd Gaming signed a market access agreement back in August 2018 which makes this partnership the most likely resolution.

The sportsbooks and operators listed are not the only ones we could see in the state of Ohio, a few others have applied and could well be in the frame. Ravencrest Partners and Phantom Fireworks have applied for retail proprietor licenses, but did not list any partners. 

SPIRE Institute applied for a mobile proprietor license and have partnered with Out The Gate Inc. This partnership covers both retail and mobile sports betting in Ohio. 

What should you know before betting on sports in Ohio?

Ohioans, sports betting is almost in your state but before the day comes, there's a few things you should know. 

How to sign up for Sports Betting in Ohio

When Ohio sports betting launches, there will be a plethora of sportsbook options to choose from. Whichever you choose, the sign-up process will be pretty simple! In-fact, its almost exactly the same process: 

1. First you’ll need to select your chosen sportsbook and download their app
2. Next you’ll need to register for an account with the given sportsbook. (you’ll need proof of ID and address)
3. Next you’ll need to make your first deposit, simply connect a payment method and add some funds you’re willing to lose.
4. Finally, you’re in. You’ve got the whole sportsbook in front of you with a verified account and some cash. Time to place that bet, before you do that- check out some more HowToBet guides! 
5. Keep check of yourself, set spend limits and never gamble when you’re in a bad mood. With great power comes great responsibility. 

Types of Sports Betting in Ohio

There are a lot of different betting types, we won’t go through all of them here but we will take you through some of the most popular. 

• Points Spread- A Points Spread bet refers to betting on the margin a team will win by. The favorite is designated by a minus and a plus indicates the underdog. If a team is priced at -5.5, they must win by more than 5.5 for your bet to come in. 
• Moneyline- By far the simplest bet to understand, this is simply choosing the team you think will win. For example: if you choose the Lakers and they win then you win, if they lose, you lose. Simple, right?
• Over/Under- over and under is exactly what it sounds like. You’re simply choosing whether you think the total of something in the game, for example three-pointers, will be over or under the sportsbook's number. 
• Parlay- A parlay bet or accumulator is a bet that rides on multiple bets all coming in. This is very desirable as you are able to make big money from low stakes. For example: 

• Manchester United Moneyline (-210)
• Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline (-155) 
• Cristiano Ronaldo to score twice (+650) 
• Milwaukee Bucks +5.5 (-110)
• Casemiro to make 3.5+ tackles (-105) 

This would combine to return more than $600 from just a $10 stake. 

• Prop Bets- Propositional bets or prop bets are bets that do not focus on the result of the game. The most popular type of prop is a player prop. An example of this would be: Giannis Antetokounmpo to make the first three of the game. 

If you'd like more information on bet types and how to read odds, check out one of our more in depth guides!

Most Popular Sports To Bet on in Ohio

You will have the option to bet on a lot of different competitions and leagues when sports betting in Ohio. 

NFL- The NFL will be by far the most popular league in Ohio sports betting. The state of Ohio is home to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. The NFL is the most popular league in the country and Ohio loves football. 

NBA- NBA sports betting in Ohio will also be massively popular, largely thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The NBA has plenty of markets to bet on and is a popular league to bet on all over the world.

 MLB- The baseball season's massive length gives them a great advantage when talking sports betting market share. There comes a point in time every year when the vast majority's main gambling sport is baseball and the MLB.

 College Sport- College sport is massive in the gambling world and Ohio State University is one of the best colleges around for football. There will be plenty of college football betting options. On top of this, we also have March Madness coming a couple months after launch.

Banking Options for Sports Betting in Ohio

At launch there will be some great banking options in Ohio. The more options, for bettors the better. Here are all of the options available at legal US sportsbooks. We will see most of these in Ohio:

• PayPal
• Skrill
• VIP Preferred ACH eCheck
• Play+ branded prepaid card
• Visa/Mastercard/Discover
• Online banking
• PayNearMe
• Cash at the casino cage
• Paper checks mailed to your home address
• Wire transfer

Types of bonuses and promotions we could see in Ohio

When sports betting in Ohio officially launches, we will see plenty of bonuses and promotions put out by sportsbooks. They will all be fighting for customers and will offer you some great incentives to get you in the door. 

• No deposit bonus- A no deposit bonus is a bonus that you are granted for simply registering. Otherwise known as a welcome bonus. They usually come in the form of free betting credits. 
• Deposit bonuses- These bonuses are granted once you deposit a certain amount of cash. The sportsbook usually matches your first deposit up to a certain amount. 
• Risk-free bets- Risk free bets are similar to deposit bonuses. You place your first bet and if it loses you are refunded with cash or the equivalent betting credits. 
• Odds boosts- Odds boosts are when the sportsbook will manually inflate the odds on certain markets to make them more desirable.