Ohio (OH) Sportsbooks: Best Sports Betting Sites & Apps – December 2024

Yes, online sports betting is legal in Ohio.

Betting began in Ohio in January 2023 following the passage of legislation and the implementation of stringent regulations overseeing the licensed platforms.

Wagering on sports through computers and mobile devices is legal within Ohio’s borders. The legal age for betting is 21, and you must be physically present in the state to gamble. You don’t need to be a resident.

There is no absolute best sports betting site in Ohio, but a few of the top online sportsbooks are:

• BetMGM Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Fanatics Sportsbook

Company	Company - Logo	Forbes Advisor Rating	Forbes Advisor Rating	Bonus	Wager
BetMGM				Up to $1,500	First wager loses
Caesars				Up to $1,000	First wager loses
DraftKings				$150	$5
FanDuel				$150	$5 (Must Win)
Fanatics Sportsbook				Up to $1,000	If wagers lose

Bottom Line: What is the Best Betting Site in Ohio?

Each sportsbook is slightly different regarding app and website functionality and aesthetics, but all are easy to navigate and use. We recommend each one for sports betting.

Promotions, bonuses and loyalty programs will also differ, but you can take advantage of them all. Claiming an offer at one online sportsbook doesn’t preclude you from claiming one at a different sportsbook. Terms and conditions can vary between offers.

Odds and lines for particular games or athlete betting markets will also sometimes differ, but no sportsbook generally has the best odds. We recommend price shopping for the best odds and lines if you want to bet on a sporting event. Promotions can be a factor here.

Regarding betting markets, all sportsbooks offer bets on moneylines, spreads, over/unders, futures and props, in addition to live, in-game wagering.

Methods to deposit and withdraw funds will be nearly the same, if not identical, at licensed sportsbooks in a particular state. Furthermore, your money is safe and secure regardless of the licensed operator. All sportsbooks must segregate customer account balances.

For online bettors in Ohio, there are several ways you can fund your betting account.

• MasterCard
• Visa
• PayPal
• ACH Transfer
• Play+
• American Express
• Discover
• Apple Pay
• Venmo
• Sportsbook gift cards

You can deposit as little as $5, with deposit limits depending on factors such as your payment method. That means you can try sports betting with a small stake to start and see if it’s for you.

Ohio sports betting law and regulations allow all the standard betting methods found at various sportsbooks in other states. Ohio didn’t reinvent the wheel with its market.

• Moneyline: The most straightforward bet you can make is who will win. That’s what a moneyline bet is: a wager on a team or player to win. The payouts reflect the risk you’re taking. A first-place Bengals team beating the Steelers may be priced at -400 (bet $400 to win $100). The risk goes both ways, so picking the Cleveland Browns over the Kansas City Chiefs could be +300 (bet $100 to win $300).
• Point Spread: Another common type of sports wager, spreads allow you to bet on a game despite an uneven matchup. Oddsmakers will set a number of points the favored team must win by for you to win the bet. For example, if the last-place Reds are playing the first-place Mets, you may be uncomfortable making a straight bet on Cincinnati, but the spread (called the runline in baseball) evens the matchup and makes the Reds more playable.
• Over/Under: If you’re uneasy trying to pick a winner for the moneyline or spread, you can consider the over/under or “total.” This wager is on the total amount of points, runs, goals, etc., scored by both teams combined. The sportsbook sets a specific number, i.e. 5.5 in a Blue Jackets-Penguins NHL game. If six or more goals are scored, the “Over” hits. Five or fewer, and the “Under” hits.
• Prop Bets: These are specific bets not tied to the final score, meaning they can hit (or miss) at any point during a game. Examples: Jose Ramirez to hit a home run, Darius Garland to make fewer than three three-pointers, Joe Burrow to throw over 240 yards.
• Futures: You can find long odds and corresponding high payouts by picking who will win the championship, MVP or another similar award. You’ll need to wait part or all of a season to cash out, but it may be worth it if you get it right.
• Parlays: Parlays are the riskiest bets to make, but they’re potentially lucrative. You’re combining multiple bets into a single ticket. If one bet of the parlay (also known as a “leg”) goes wrong, the rest of your ticket is busted. Odds dramatically increase as you add more legs to the parlay. You can have multiple sports in a parlay.

If you’re setting up your first account with a sportsbook, a “welcome” promotion will likely be offered to get you started.

A “no-sweat first bet” is a common bonus type. If your first bet loses, you will be given a non-withdrawable “bonus bet” equal to your first wager (up to a limit) as a second chance.

One important point: If your redemption bet hits, you only get the winnings. For example, if you bet $100 on the Bengals moneyline at -178 odds, the normal payout would be $156 ($56 in winnings plus your initial wager). If you use a bonus bet, you’ll only get $56.

There are also “bet and get” offers that give you bonus bets/site credit for placing a small wager after signing up, sometimes as low as $5. The sportsbook will reward you with bonus bets, which is essentially free money to use at the site and explore various betting markets.

Existing customers can take advantage of odds boosts, which increase the potential winnings for specific markets like parlays or prop bets.

These types of boosts are often seasonal. You might find a basketball-related bonus around the start of the NBA season or perhaps a hockey betting bonus during the NHL playoffs.

The sports betting industry has long eyed the Buckeye State due to its population of about 11.8 million people and popular sports teams. Ohio has many loyal sports fans rooting for various teams.

• Cleveland Cavaliers: Founded as an expansion team in 1970, the Cavaliers were a strong team in the mid-80s through the 90s. After several years of poor performance, the Cavaliers received the top pick in the 2003 draft, selecting Ohio native Lebron James. The Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference title from 2015 to 2018, winning the NBA championship in 2016.
• Cleveland Guardians: The team has played under several names since being founded in 1894 (Rippers, Lake Shores, Blues, Broncos, Naps, Indians). In 2021, the team changed its name to the Guardians after the “Guardians of Traffic” statues near the field. Cleveland’s baseball team won two World Series titles—one in 1920 and another in 1948. The team has the longest active World Series drought in baseball.
• Cleveland Browns: The original Browns first played in 1946, named after head coach Paul Brown. In 1996 that team moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. To facilitate the move, the NFL guaranteed the city of Cleveland a team under the old name, logo and branding a few years later. In 1999 the Browns played again, although they’re one of the few teams who have never made a Super Bowl appearance.
• Columbus Blue Jackets: Columbus was awarded an expansion NHL team in 1997. In 2000, the team played its inaugural season as the Blue Jackets, based on the state’s contribution to the Civil War. The Blue Jackets made their first playoff appearance in 2009. They have yet to win the Stanley Cup.
• Columbus Crew: Founded in 1994, the Columbus Crew is an original MLS team. The inaugural season was in 1996. The Crew won the MLS Cup in 2008 and 2020, beating the New York Red Bulls and Seattle Sounders, respectively.
• Cincinnati Reds: Going back over a century, the Reds have been a Cincinnati staple since 1882. They won their first World Series in 1919 against the infamous Chicago White Sox, followed by another championship in 1940. Then came the Big Red Machine and a dominating decade in the 1970s, yielding back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976.
• Cincinnati Bengals: Founded in 1967, the Bengals joined the AFL right before it merged with the NFL. The Bengals have yet to win a Super Bowl, but they’ve played in three, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII and to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.
• FC Cincinnati: Originally a member of the United Soccer League, FC Cincinnati is the newest team in the city, founded in 2015. The MLS selected FC Cincinnati as one of its expansion teams in 2019.

Sports betting, both retail and online, is legal and regulated in Ohio. Legal sports betting began in Ohio on Jan. 1, 2023, following several years of legislative debate.

Legalization Timeline

• January 2023: Retail and online sportsbooks began taking legal wagers shortly after midnight.
• October 2022: Ohio Casino Control Commission approves Bet365, Betfred, Caesars, PointsBet and SuperBook for the Jan. 1 launch.
• August 2022: Application window closes for remaining applicants (Type C licenses and secondary mobile partners).
• July 2022: Application window closes for retail licenses and primary mobile partners.
• June 2022: Ohio’s sports betting application window opens.
• March 2022: Ohio Casino Control Commission’s betting rules are adopted.
• January 2022: Ohio Casino Control Commission releases betting regulations.
• December 2021: House and Senate pass HB 29 (with amendments), establishing a go-live date no later than Jan. 1, 2023. Gov. DeWine later signs HB 29 into law.
• June 2021: SB 176 passes the Senate 30-2.
• May 2021: SB 176 introduced as a competing sports betting bill in the Ohio Senate.
• February 2021: HB 29 introduced in the House of Representatives to allow betting.

Licensees and Mobile Betting Partners

Ohio Sportsbook Locations

Ohio’s sports betting law designated three different types of licenses, each with associated fees.

Type A License—25 licenses are available for the state’s casinos and sports teams. Each licensee can tether (partner) with one or two online sportsbooks. Theoretically, Ohio could see up to 50 mobile operators–but there aren’t that many in the market.

• Sports organization with one tether: $1 million fee, $1 million every five years
• Sports organization with two tethers: $3.33 million fee, $1 million every five years
• Casino/racino with one tether: $1.5 million fee, $1.5 million every five years
• Casino/racino with two tethers: $5 million fee, $1.5 million every five years
• First tether with a sports organization: $2 million fee, $2 million every five years
• Second tether with a sports organization: $6.67 million fee, $2 million every five years

Type B License—40 licenses are up for grabs for brick-and-mortar sports-books. Ohio limits counties based on their population and visitation. Only Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Franklin County (Columbus) and Hamilton County (Cincinnati) can have a maximum of five Type B licenses. Twenty counties can only have one Type B license, while 68 don’t meet the license threshold.

• If license holder also has a Type A license: $140,000 every five years
• All other license holders: $90,000 every five years
• Operator if license holder also a Type A license: $140,000 every five years
• All other operators: $90,000 every five years

Type C License—20 licenses are available, and these are for betting kiosks run by the Ohio Lottery. Each licensee can work with an unlimited number of “hosts” (e.g., restaurants and bars) as long as the host has a liquor license. While significantly cheaper, these kiosks are limited in the types of bets they can take.

• License holder: $100,000 every five years
• Hosts: $1,000 every three years

Ohio sportsbooks are taxed at a 10% rate.

Four of the five states surrounding Ohio have sports betting, so keeping Ohioans home for betting boosts the state’s tax coffers. Nearly all of the tax revenue goes to the Sports Gaming Profits Education Fund (SGPEF).

The SGPEF is dedicated to Ohio’s schools, both public and private. The General Assembly can decide how to allocate the money, but 50% must be used on extracurricular activities.

Licensing fees are also funneled into the SGPEF, except for 0.5% that is sent to the Sports Gaming Profits Veterans Fund for various initiatives.

Two percent goes to the Problem Sports Gaming Fund. The fund’s programs are unspecified but designed to help problem gamblers. Ohio sports betting law created a nine-member committee to look at problem gambling funding.