While the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the Federal sports betting ban in May of 2018, Ohio wasn’t so quick out of the blocks. In fact, it has taken state authorities more than four and a half years to bring sports betting to the state.

But finally, from January 1st 2023, the answer to “Can I bet online in Ohio?” is yes.

Ohio’s relatively late arrival to the party is even more surprising considering its geographical location. It is virtually surrounded by states that allow legal sports betting. Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia and Pennsylvania are established online sports betting states. In fact Michigan, West Virginia and Pennsylvania are three of the few states that also legalized online casinos.

The breakthrough in Ohio came in December of 2021 when Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 29 into law. It was a glorious day for sports fans who had been waiting to see legal sports betting options come to Ohio. In the meantime, lawmakers have taken a year to pound out all of the rules and regulations for Ohio sports betting.

About HB 29 & Launch Date

Under the provisions put forth in HB 29, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), can license 40 retail sports betting outlets (Type B licenses) and another 25 online/mobile skins (Type A). In all likelihood, most of the skins will be allocated based on partnerships with retail operators. A final 20 Type C licenses will be allotted to self-serve terminals in liquor stores.

The key detail to most people was simply the launch date. That was finalized in the summer of 2022 when the OCCC announced that online betting would go live on January 1st, 2023.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite in time for the NCAA College Football playoff game between the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes and the #1 Georgia Bulldogs.

How Can I Bet Online In Ohio?

Signing up to bet online in Ohio is simple enough. Anyone over 21 can create a new account with one of the Ohio sportsbook apps. After that, the only requirement is that bettors need to be physically in Ohio when placing a bet. Conveniently, you can register an account and deposit funds from outside the state. But the betting itself must take place within the borders of Ohio. This requirement is strictly enforced with geolocation technology.

As for the operators, the current list of Ohio sports betting providers reads like a who’s who of prominent iGaming brands. It includes leading sportsbooks like:

— BetMGM

— DraftKings

— Caesars

— FanDuel

— PointsBet

— BetRivers

— Barstool

Other licensees are expected to be added in  time.

Ohio Sportsbook Welcome Bonuses

With fierce competition between sportsbooks, new customers can avail of lucrative welcome bonus offers. Deposit match bonuses and free bets are generously distributed for new account registrations. Market share is crucial to operators as Ohio stands to become one of the biggest legal betting markets in the U.S. as 2023 progresses.

As Ohio sports bettors start their sports betting journeys, they will find that online betting apps provide access to as many as 40+ sports betting markets each day. They typically include top pro leagues with Ohio teams like the NFL (Bengals and Browns), NBA (Cavaliers), MLB (Reds and Guardians), MLS (Columbus Crew) as well as WNBA, NHL, and NCAA FB & BB (men’s and women’s).

There’s no shortage of options now that legal sports betting has arrived in Ohio.