Is Online Gambling Legal in Ohio?

Is Online Gambling Legal in Ohio?

Ohio may not come to mind first when considering American gambling, yet it is an industry major player. Ohio generated half a billion in gaming revenues in 2017 alone! Home to four casinos and seven racinos offering pari-mutuel horse race betting alongside casino games; Ohio also features an extensive range of lottery products and charitable organizations dedicated to responsible play that support problem gamblers.

Ohio currently does not permit online gambling for real money; however, there has been considerable discussion at a state level that may change that soon enough. There has been specific talk about legalizing sports betting – this would provide operators with access to Ohio as a prime market.

In order to operate an online sportsbook, a license must first be secured. Each type of license available in your state has different requirements; Type A permits 25 land-based casinos or sports teams licensed with gambling rights to partner with online sportsbooks as a partner – an extremely popular choice among sportsbooks as it allows them to reach a wide audience while maintaining an efficient centralized system.

Ohio offers another type of license called a Type B license that offers 15 slots to online sportsbooks without a casino partner – an ideal solution for smaller sportsbooks that want to enter the market but are not quite ready for full partnerships with casinos.

Ohio provides three license types; Type C allows five slots to social and sweepstakes websites that allow players to gamble for virtual credits in a fun and casual environment, without real-money prizes being available at stake.

Ohioans looking to wager real money have four land-based casinos or racinos offering video poker machines as the only available options, though if online gambling becomes legalized it’s likely BetMGM will be one of the first companies to launch an official site.

Sports bettors in Ohio can temporarily take their business elsewhere – such as New Jersey or states like Nevada that already regulate this activity – until Ohio develops regulations of its own. Furthermore, it should be remembered that following the Supreme Court’s overturning of PAPSA last month there will now be federal legislation which permits states to regulate sports betting; something Ohio may investigate in future. It would likely take at least a year or two until any such legislation could come to pass.