Ohio Casinos

Ohio Gambling History

The gambling history of the state traces back to the 18th century when Ohio banned lotteries. OH would then ensure that the law was adhered to by setting up private organizations to enforce fines on any person caught gambling illegally. Since then, the gambling status in the state remained changed until the 1930s, when more gambling laws came into existence.

• 1933: Ohio approved a bill supporting the legalization of pari-mutuel betting on horse races.
• 1980: Like many other states, Ohio legalized its state’s lottery and had the Ohio Lotto Commission created. The lottery has since existed with loads of money generated to help the state during its fiscal hiccups. Surprisingly, the state’s lottery would remain the only legal gambling type in the state for over thirty (30) years.
• 1980: A bill proposing the legalization of casino gambling had the legislature reject.
• 1990: The year didn’t get better with the voters voting against legalized casino gambling.
• 1996: Ohio voters voted against legalizing riverboat casinos.
• 2009: A constitutional amendment (Article XV, Section 6 {C}) had 52% of voters approving it. The amendment backed the building of four (4) commercial casinos in Ohio cities. Besides legalizing casino gambling, the new law also set ground rules, including the gambling age set at 21+, land-based casino revenue tax rate at 33%, and racino revenue tax rate at 33.5%.
• 2011: The state established the Ohio Casino Control Commission to oversee and regulate games of chance. Other duties tasked to the commission included licensing, regulating, and jurisdiction of all parties associated with casino gambling. The casinos would pay $50 million and invest $250 million in developing the facility before the commission grants them an operating license. Ohio also legalized video lottery terminals (VLTs) on their racetracks during the same year.
• 2018: The US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that legalized sports betting in the US. However, the states were given the mandate to decide whether to legalize sports betting within their borders. 
• 2021: Ohio Senate passed the SB 176 bill that supported the legalization of sports betting in the state (retail and online). The bill awaits voting in the house, which speaks a longer wait to see if the bill passes.

Under the bill, the state looks to provide forty (40) licenses that mobile and retail operators will share. One interesting clause is the state required the retail sportsbooks to operate as standalones and cannot be located inside a racino or commercial casino. However, Sen. Kirk Schuring considered this in an amendment (HB 29) introduced before the legislative. As it stands, Ohioans will have to wait longer until the legislature summer break is over before knowing the state of sports betting after the house votes.

Is it Legal to Gamble Online in Ohio?

The question of if online gambling is legal in Ohio is recurrent. The best answer is that, for the most part, online gambling is not legal in Ohio. However, before diving deeper into this, it is essential to understand how the Buckeye State defines gambling. According to its laws, gambling is loosely described as ‘facilitating/betting on games of chance for profit, income, or livelihood’. Additionally, gambling is viewed as ‘possessing/acquiring/operating/controlling a gambling device, playing a game of chance such as poker, roulette, craps, or slot machines for gaining anything of value’.

One important point is that the Ohio code doesn’t cover various online gambling forms, leaving a lot of room for offshore online casinos/poker/sportsbooks/bingo sites to operate in Ohio. The mentioned provide a hub for players to access tons of gaming options and play those games for real money.

However, what is paramount is that the state doesn’t legalize online casinos, online poker, and online sports betting currently. Probably, the latter will change with an existing bill awaiting house voting. So, what gambling forms can I gamble online in OH? Various gambling forms are available, including daily fantasy sports, online sweepstakes, online social casinos, and pari-mutuel betting on horse races. 

Below is a detailed look at all online gambling forms and where they stand in Ohio:

Online Casino

Ohioans can only make real-money bets on the commercial casinos hosted in Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Online casinos are not part of the legal online gambling forms in OH. As a result, the Ohio Casino Control Commission does not license any real-money online casino within Ohio borders. Therefore, gamblers who want to gamble online in Ohio are left with few options, including social casinos that are majorly about fun, entertainment, and socializing, sweepstakes sites that are about random prizes, and offshore online sites accepting Ohioans. 

In comparison to its neighboring states, Ohio is behind, considering there are currently no plans of launching online casinos in the future. On the other hand, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have all licensed online casinos.

Online Poker

Poker follows the same route as casinos in Ohio. Currently, only live poker rooms are legal in the state of Ohio. Half of the poker rooms are operated onsite on some local commercial casinos, while others are operated as standalone venues. Online poker is not legal, and it is not looking promising with no existing bill to legalize it in the future. A wild guess might be that poker is viewed as one of the games generating the least revenue in the US. For now, poker lovers who wish to gamble online can try sweepstakes poker sites for cash games and tournaments. Alternatively, some global offshore poker sites accept bets from Ohio.

Online Sports Betting

At the time of writing, online sports betting was not yet legal in the state. However, plans were underway, with the only remaining piece of the puzzle being the house voting. Suppose the bill gets approval from the house, both retail and online sportsbooks will be operational in the state. In that case, Ohio will join its neighboring states such as Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia in legalizing sports betting. 

For now, Ohioans can only access offshore online sports betting sites to wager their favorite sports. Among the popular bet options in the state include Moneyline, Point Spread, Teasers, Parlays, Round Robins, Future, Prop Bets, Totals, among others. Tentatively, the state looks at April 2022 as the earliest bettors can take sports bets in the state. 

Some online operators expected to provide sports betting in Ohio include Caesars, BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel. One common aspect about them is that they already operate in Ohio to provide casino games or daily fantasy sports.

Online Lottery

Currently, the online lottery is not legal in Ohio. The state only has a retail lottery that users can enjoy by simply buying tickets at various retailers in the state. They can then proceed to play instant scratch games, draw games, in-state games, and multi-state games such as Mega Millions, Keno, Lucky for Life, and Powerball. In 2018, Ohioans could purchase tickets via mobile devices through a Lottery Card program, but that changed after the state discontinued the program. However, the stance might change later to let players from Ohio enjoy the lottery online.

Online Bingo

Online bingo is not legal in Ohio. Bingo lovers can only access live bingo hosted by non-profit organizations such as charitable, educational, and religious organizations. Presently, Ohio is home to 10+ bingo halls hosted across major cities such as Cleveland and Columbus. What’s left for now is playing on offshore online bingo sites for real money. As seen, they are not highly regulated platforms, and while they offer real money transactions, they are not the most reliable platforms.

Online Horse Race Betting

Horse racing is highly revered in the US. Many states have legalized horse race betting, and Ohio is not left behind. Both live and off-track betting on the racinos and online horse racing betting is legal in the state. Today, top online horse race betting sites such as TVG and TwinSpires are legally operating within the state’s borders. 

Online Sweepstakes

Online sweepstakes are legal in Ohio. Therefore, the Buckeye State players can enjoy regular casino and poker games as they would on real-money sites. The difference is that they follow a sweepstakes model that lets players participate by purchasing virtual ‘Gold Coins’ for playing on the platform. One can then win ‘Sweep Coins’ that are redeemable for cash.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports are legal in OH. In 2018, Gov. John Kasich signed a bill that placed all DFS operators under the Ohio Casino Control Commission. The bill also authorized real-money contests. In addition, Ohio set its maximum licensing fee at $10,000, and currently, Ohioans can access DFS contests and tournaments from top providers such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo DFS.

Can You Play Slots Online in Ohio?

Yes, and no. If one is looking for legal OH online slots to play for real money, they cannot find any. This is because online casinos for real money are not legal in Ohio. However, if they wish to enjoy online slots for fun at their comfort, they can try slots from social casinos with no cash prizes or online slots at the legal sweepstakes. The latter has benefits that may include cash prizes. 

However, the state offers a reprieve to the players since it doesn’t explicitly illegalize offshore online casinos. As a result, slot lovers looking to enjoy real-money online slots can try spinning the slots offered on those platforms. 

Some of the top slot providers powering online casinos include:

• Realtime Gaming: Established in 1998, Realtime Gaming is among the top-rated slot providers and is popular for slots offered in instant-play and download versions. Besides that, the provider’s slots offer simple bonus rounds, paylines, and a comprehensive range of bets. Top Realtime Gaming slots include Cash Bandits and Enchanted Garden.
• High 5 Games: Established in 1995, High 5 Games dominated the poker industry but would later start providing slots for social media platforms such as Facebook. Its slots are known for meeting customer demands via their quality, graphics, and payouts. Top High 5 Games slots include Da Vinci Diamonds and Secrets of the Forest.
• Microgaming: Microgaming is arguably among the top three (3) software providers in the casino industry. The provider is all-round on its games, with slots getting the highest share. Powering most casinos, bettors can access high-quality, high-paying, rich-featured slots such as Mega Moolah (jackpot), Thunderstruck II, and Immortal Romance.

Gambling Age Law

The gambling age law in Ohio depends on the gambling form one settles for. The minimum gambling age for bingo, lottery, keno, horse racing, and keno betting is 18+. However, those placing bets on the commercial casinos and poker rooms must be at least 21 years of age. 

When it gets to Ohio online gambling laws, the same age requirements will apply, provided the gambling form is legalized online. This means that players betting on online horse races must be aged 18+. However, those participating in DFS contests and tournaments must be aged at least 21 years. We would expect the age limit to remain at 21+ if online sportsbooks, casinos, and poker sites are later legalized in the state.

However, besides Ohio setting the age limits at 21+ for casinos and poker rooms, many offshore online sites accept players aged 18+. Therefore, our call is to always adhere to the gambling laws set in the state.

Most Reputable 18+ Online Casinos for Ohio Players

Currently, the state has no records of any person aged 18+ charged for betting on offshore sites. However, it is important to adhere to the gambling laws set out in the state. It is also important to note that OH doesn’t illegalize offshore online casinos. For that reason, those who opt to play on such sites can try out the sites on our list. The sites are the most reputable, judging from the bonuses & promos, game selection, licensing & security, payment methods, and mobile accessibility.

Here is a recap of them:

Land-Based Casinos in Ohio

Ohio State is not the most popular state when it comes to matters gambling. In a nutshell, the state’s neighbors and other states such as Nevada and New Jersey are more popular. However, the options are available for parties wishing to enjoy a traditional experience, albeit not plentiful. Four (4) commercial casinos are present in the state since their legalization in 2009. In addition, the casinos are located in the most populous OH cities (Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati).

Players can enjoy a host of casino games from the casinos, including slot machines, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, pai gow poker, 3-card poker, and hold’em poker. The independent testing agencies have tested all the games and passed them fair, with the Ohio Casino Control Commission regulating every operation. 

The surprising fact is that Ohio has no tribal casinos in operation despite over 500 of them in the US. This is due to the lack of tribal territories within Ohio territories. Thus, there exists no location for Ohio tribal casinos to operate within the state legally. Ohio is also home to seven-plus (7+) racinos that allow live and simulcasting horse racing besides pari-mutuel betting.

The land-based casinos in Ohio include:

Ohio racinos include:

Will Ohio Regulate Online Gambling in the Future

Besides online sports betting, little to no positive sign points to the legalization of OH online gambling forms such as online casinos and poker. However, it is not all doom with the state showing that it is open to legalizing online gambling. Daily fantasy sports, online horse race betting, online sweepstakes, among others, are legal. Additionally, the state is in the final stages of legalizing sports betting in the state. If legalized, the state may jump to the next plan: online casinos and/or poker. 

The other glimmer of hope is that the surrounding states have been at the forefront of legalizing online gambling. For example, Michigan and Pennsylvania legalize online casinos, poker, and sportsbooks, West Virginia legalizes online casinos and sportsbooks, with Indiana legalizes online sportsbooks. These are triggers enough to have Ohio keeping tabs with all the developments. The enticing part is the revenue from more players accessing the websites or via OH online casino apps. For now, it is only a matter of waiting and seeing the progress in the state, first if the dream of sports betting becomes a reality.