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Ohioans are readying themselves for legal sports betting that is set to start on January 1, 2023. The official legalization date for sports betting in the state was December 22, 2021, but the residents had to wait an extra year to begin betting. From the official launch date, the residents will have a wide range of options when placing their bets.
More than half of states have legalized sports betting
Sports betting remained illegal in Ohio, although over half of all states have legalized it since 2018. About 30 states allow legal sports betting, which includes 21 that have legalized online betting. Although the process has taken a long time, the residents have been using the few available options.
They have been visiting the neighboring states to place bets, such as the online casinos in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. New York joined the list recently and sports betting in the state is now live. It will be a great relief for Ohioans once sports betting is launched next year.
Legal betting in Ohio is important
According to a recent survey, 46% of Ohioans who actively place bets on sports say they will be betting every week. PlayOhio interviewed over 600 bettors, and they appeared to be highly interested in betting. Of the current bettors surveyed, more than 90% agreed that legal betting in Ohio is important.
Close to 50% of the bettors wager up to 5 times weekly. Another over 50% are planning to register with a casino once sports betting is launched in January. The survey further shows the popularity of casino slots and the level of interest legal sports betting will draw from the residents. Of the 90% who said legal betting is important, 65% said it is very important, while 25% is somewhat important.
Moving from offshore accounts to legal sportsbooks
Ohioans have been keenly following the state’s gambling legalization status since November 2020, the time when Governor Mike DeWine had hinted it would be passed. That didn’t happen and the committee hinted at June 2021. Again it failed to happen but the day finally came on December 22, 2021. Throughout that period, many Ohioans have been placing bets in unregulated offshore sportsbooks.
The report from PlayOhio points out a recent statistic by the American Gaming Association, which shows at least 52% of sports bettors rely on offshore betting. From the survey results, a large number of bettors are willing to migrate from their offshore accounts and register with legal sportsbooks within the state. Some lawmakers in Ohio have already written to the US attorney requesting his department to be tough on offshore sportsbooks and prosecute them.
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