Ohio Online Sports Betting

With the start of 2023, Ohio residents were granted the ability to legally place sports bets within state lines. Sports betting apps and in-person betting kiosks are now live. 

The early history of Ohio was of crack-downs and prohibitions. As in many states, the first relaxation after the Prohibition era in the first part of the 20th century was for horse racing in 1933. Remote betting and electronic lottery games were permitted at the racetracks. A form of gambling that thrives even today.

Charitable gambling for veterans, volunteer firefighters and education groups became popular in 1975, but a longer wait ensued for casinos. In 2009, an amendment led to the licensing of four massive casinos, one for each of the biggest cities. All of them came complete with poker, table games and massive slots halls.

The Buckeye State’s State House has even approved an online gaming and sports betting legalization bill in June 2020. That bill was eventually passed in December 2021 and then signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine.

Ohio offers its visitors and residents the aforementioned excellent casino industry, legalized DFS competitions, live and social poker, horse racing betting (at the track, off-track and online) and charitable gambling.

Ohio offers its visitors and residents the aforementioned excellent casino industry, legalized DFS competitions, live and social poker, horse racing (at the track, off-track and online) and charitable gambling.

Ohio applies a flat 6% state tax on gambling winnings.

Large gambling wins over $600 in the state of Ohio may possibly attract an additional Federal Tax. Additionally, there is a 24% flat tax on all gambling winnings taken by the IRS. Gambling institutions, both online and brick-and-mortar, are required to report all winnings to the IRS that go over a $600 sum.

Contact your tax attorney to assess your potential tax liability if you have a big win in Ohio.

Ohio’s Casinos apply a minimum 21-years-of-age limit. All other forms of legal gaming apply an age limit of 18.

The doors were pushed ajar for the possibility of introducing legal sports betting in Ohio in May 2018 when the landscape of the American sports betting scene altered in the blink of an eye.

That month, the U.S. Supreme Court of 2018 ruled against the federal nationwide ban of sports betting as the state of New Jersey prevailed in their court case to show cause that the ban was illegal and against state’s rights.

Consequently, every state was then allowed to legalize sports betting at their own volition.

Sports betting is now completely legal in both an online and live setting as of January 1, 2023. The Buckeye State’s legislators passed a sports wagering legalization bill, H 194, fast-tracking it through the Ohio House Finance Committee and the equally fast passage on the House floor only a day later in June 2020. The Senate took a bit longer to approve the bill, but it was finally passed in December 2021 when it was signed by Governor Mike DeWine. Now that the logistics and legal aspects are ironed out in Ohio, sports wagers are fully legal and plenty of sports bettors are already joining in on the action.

Betting on the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cincinnati Reds is now within the legal rights of Ohio-based bettors. Take a look at some of the best sports betting sites in the USA to get started.

The Buckeye State has lined up a list of online sports betting options for its visitors and residents. The rollout commenced on January 1, 2023 when the rest of the sports betting infrastructure went live in the state.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) competitions have been legalized under federal law as games of skill with player’s talent being the primary factor in influencing the outcome.

In what is great news for DFS players in Ohio, the State Legislature passed HB 132 in December 2017 making DFS 100% legal for play in real money competitions in Ohio. The news coming out of the decision was that all forms of DFS, except fantasy horse racing were deemed legal in Ohio. The other main points decided were;

• Minimum age of 18 to play.
• Consumer protection measures are required put in place by operators.
• Maximum licensing fee possible is $10,000 per year, and;

No additional state taxes charged to operators.

With sports betting now legal in the state of Ohio, eSports has dropped behind in precedence when it comes to online gambling in the state. However, eSports are still widely popular with the younger generation of gamblers and Ohio has an outstanding slate of options available.

eSports explained

eSports take place in organized tournaments, as players challenge each other’s skills in multiplayer video-games. eSports have been around as long as multiplayer video games have. However, with the unprecedented technological improvements made in online streaming and the role of international sportsbooks for wagering purposes, eSports have surged in viewership and accessibility.

Many games are played competitively on the eSports tournament calendar. However, the first-person shooters (FPS) like the Call of Duty franchise, real-time strategy games like Starcraft II, sports games like FIFA and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games such as League of Legends and Dota 2 are all among the fan favorites. With every tournament, crowd numbers swell and the prizes get richer.

Sports bettors are never far away when there is big money to be made. Global bookmakers regularly frame betting markets on the major network of international eSports tournaments.

eSports are now a fully legalized option for Ohio residents to bet on at the major sportsbooks approved to operate within state lines.

In the Buckeye State, the Ohio State Racing Commission (OSRC) administers races, animal welfare, the tracks themselves and the licensing of horse racing and horse racing betting.

Horse and Greyhound racing betting is available track side, online and a network of off-track betting locations supplies horse racing betting facilities.

Trackside Betting

Horse racing betting is permitted in Ohio at any of the state’s seven horse racing tracks. A law passed by the State Legislature (Chapter 3770 of the Ohio State Code) in 2011 allowed tracks to install video lottery terminals (VLTs) which are quite similar to slot machines. When visiting any Ohio racetrack to watch live horse races, you can also try your luck at the VLTs. These expanded racetracks have come to be known as ‘racinos’.

Off-Track Betting (OTB) in Ohio

Off-track betting is offered at a well-established network of designated locations through the state of Ohio.

Online Horse Racing in Ohio

In Ohio, it is possible to place horse racing wagers online without any fear of punishment under the state law. Ohio’s visitors and residents are offered superb online odds on all major horse racing venues worldwide and thorough racing venues in the U.S. They can be accessed from tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices and desktops, all 100% legally.

Click Here to read about Ohio’s Top Online casinos and gambling laws