Ohio Gambling Laws 2024 – Are Casinos Legal in Ohio
From a glimpse at the Ohio gambling laws, you could say that OH looks like a very pro-gambling state – it has 7 racetracks and 11 casinos, 4 of which are resort-based. However, in 2012, they were one of the last states to legalize land-based casinos. At the same time, they were the first to allow horse racing back in 1933.
By the looks of it, Ohio has a truly complicated relationship with the gambling industry. On the following page, you’ll learn anything there is to know about OH casinos, when did gambling become legal in Ohio, what are the current laws, and what to expect!
Ohio Online Gambling Laws and Activities
Before 2012, there were not many gambling activities that complied to Ohio online gambling laws. Only horse racing was legal, but it was in decline. Players from Ohio would go to neighboring states just to scratch the itch to gamble. Then, the government perhaps realized that casino tax money could come in handy. That’s when the big legalization of land-based casinos happened.
But having a love-hate relationship with the gambling industry, the Ohio gambling laws have been constantly changing similar to West Virgina gambling regulations. Nowadays, people are having trouble understanding what’s legal and what’s not. Lucky for you, we have compiled everything you need to know in our review!
| Gambling Activity | Legal Status: |
|---|---|
| Mainstream Sports Betting | Illegal |
| Land-Based Casinos | Legal |
| Land-Based Poker | Legal |
| Social Gambling | Legal |
| Horse Betting | Legal |
| Lottery | Legal |
| Daily Fantasy Sports | Legal |
Ohio Online Casinos
Gambling in online casinos in Ohio is not legal. That means Ohio players would have to cross state lines in order to play their favorite games. Most of the best online casino USA websites don’t even allow players with Ohio IPs, simply because the OH online gambling laws prohibit playing. You cannot even deposit at the top US PayPal casinos, because their cashier team would not allow a transaction from Ohio.
A great alternative to online casinos would be social gambling – you can find pretty much every game you love on social media platforms like Facebook and enjoy a thrilling experience with in-game virtual coins. Anyway, players from Ohio are still waiting for the laws to change and to be a bit like players from the UK, for example, which can simply choose the best roulette website and enjoy online gambling as much as they want.
Ohio Sport Bets
Sports betting in Ohio is not legal, but it seems like that might be changing soon. In May 2020, the sports betting online allowance bill was advanced by the Ohio House Finance Committee. The purpose of that act was to allow online sports betting in the state’s land-based casino facilities. That hints at the possibility that in 2021, players from Ohio might finally be able to bet on their favorite sports!
The only two sports betting variations that the Ohio gambling laws allow are Daily fantasy sports and Pari-mutuel horse racing – you can bet via apps like TVG, TwinSpires, and Xpressbet.
Ohio Land-Based Poker
Poker has always been a favorite game amongst Ohioans. Back in the day, organizations used to pull off big bingo and poker games for charities. That changed in 2013, disallowing poker tournaments, even non-profit ones. Only bingo games remained.
The Ohio gambling laws allow people to play poker in the land-based casinos. There you can find all the different poker variations like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and more! However, playing poker might be inconvenient for Ohioans, because most of those land-based casinos are located on the north quadrant of the state, making the casino spread uneven.
So If you’re of legal age, you can enjoy playing poker in a land-based casino! If you’re wondering what is the legal gambling age in Ohio – it’s 21.
There are still some websites that allow people from Ohio to play online poker, but players are at their own risk and it’s not recommended. Remember, Ohio online gambling laws don’t allow online casinos.
Ohio Lottery
The lottery in Ohio is not only legal but very respected as well – the Ohio online gambling laws also allow it! You can buy different types of scratch-off lottery tickets from all over the State. You can also cash the tickets wherever you’ve bought them or from another retailer that offers scratch cards.
The land-based lottery is legal and the online lottery exists as an app. The app lets players play various games and scan their tickets to see whether they’re winning or not, making the lottery as convenient as ever. The lottery offers different scratch tickets with different themes and varying prices, winning chances, and prize amounts.
The legal age for playing the lottery is different than all other types of gambling – you need to be at least 18, not 21.
When Did Gambling Become Legal in Ohio
Ohio is no stranger to gambling. The first lotteries were present in the state nearly two-hundred years ago! They didn’t last too long as they got banned by the state’s legislature.
In early 1933, Pari-mutuel horse racing has been introduced and Ohioans loved it! Some of them are even big fans of various horse racing movies. For those punters, it was a new way to scratch the itch. Later in 1973, the Ohio Lottery Commission was approved, making the lottery legalization a fact as of 1975.
From 1980 to 2008, Ohio’s legislature was extremely active, considering thousands of amendments every year, but everything major that was concerning the gambling industry was quick to be voted against.
In 2009, casinos and racinos were finally legalized through amendment and later, in 2012, the first casino in Ohio opened doors.
Daily fantasy sports were legalized in the year of 2017, which gave hope to many Ohioans that gambling will soon be available across the whole state, but alas! There’s constant talk in the media about Ohio’s next step in terms of gambling laws. By the end of 2021, Ohioans are expecting online gambling freedom.
As colorful as the history of the Ohio gambling laws can be, OH’s relationship with gambling remains complicated.
| Year | Legislative Changes in Ohio |
|---|---|
| 1851 | All lotteries are banned by the state legislature. |
| 1933 | Pari-mutuel horse racing has been introduced |
| 1973 | Ohio Lottery Commission approved |
| 1975 | Ohio Lottery is legalized through an amendment |
| 1980 | Unsuccessful casino legislation attempt |
| 1990 | Voters reject casino gambling in a referendum |
| 2009 | Casinos and Racinos are legalized through an amendment |
| 2012 | The first casino opens in Ohio |
| 2017 | Daily fantasy sports are legalized. |
Ohio State Casino Facts
One of the most interesting and controversial facts in the Ohio gambling laws is that the term gambling has never been defined. That makes gambling laws in Ohio quite an interesting topic amongst lawyers and players.
In Ohio, you can play on more than 19,000 slot machines and 315 table games!
The only form of online gambling that is legal in Ohio is horse racing. You can tell that horse racing has definitely been a favorite for Ohioans since 1933!
| Year Ohio Regulated Gambling | Horse racing (1993), Lottery (1975), Bingo and Raffle (1975), Casinos (2012) |
| Ohio Gambling Age | 18 for lottery, racing, and bingo, 21 for casinos |
| Ohio Online Gambling | The only legal online gambling activity is horse racing |
| Estimated Gambling Revenue | $3.5 billion |
| Estimated Tax Revenue from Gambling | $1.1 billion |
| Number of Casinos in Ohio | 11 |
| Smoking ban | The State requires smoking areas in casinos to have an outside ventilation system |
Ohio Gambling Addiction Help
Even though the OH online gambling laws are limiting, the government is taking active measures to prevent gambling addiction. The state offers a website that helps individuals fight gambling addiction for free.
Ohio for Responsible Gambling (ORG) aims to promote being in control of gambling. There are four state agencies in Ohio that are currently working together – the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the Ohio Lottery Commission, The Ohio State Racing Commission, and the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction. The last agency has the main initiative for the treatment and prevention of problem gaming.
FAQ about Ohio Gambling Laws
We hope you found our article useful and interesting! Our team did everything possible to cover all details about Ohio online gambling laws and we decided to create this section as well, for readers that like to find synthesised information.
