Legal Sports Betting For Ohio Residents
While Ohio has its fair share of land-based gaming venues, there is currently nowhere inside the state where residents can go to place legal sports wagers. However, there is plenty of legal sports betting for Ohio residents right at their fingertips, provided they use an offshore sportsbook that serves those living in the Buckeye State.
In Ohio, it is 100% legal for individuals to place sports bets. The only snag is that due to a lack of regulatory oversight, no commercial sports betting operators are available to legally accept such wagers inside OH state borders. With the overturn of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, 1992), this is bound to change in the future as OH modernizes its wagering industry, but for the time being, there are no legal for-profit venues that will accept sports wagers in the state.
Of course, if you’re placing your bets at overseas sports betting sites like those outlined on this page, all that becomes a moot point, and you are free to wager on all the players, teams, and sports that you wish. Indeed, even when Ohio’s legalized sports wagering industry takes off, you’ll still get superior lines on many matchups by using these offshore books, so you will want to keep your online memberships in good standing.
If you live in Ohio, you can pretty much take your pick of local gaming options. There are tribal gaming centers and other traditional casino gambling sites near enough for a short road trip, but most sports betting fans prefer the convenience and simplicity of a legal Ohio sports betting site rather than taking a road trip to a nearby land casino or flying off to a legal Vegas sportsbook or bar that allows sports betting. With PASPA’s overturn, there are now options closer to home, but even still, it’s a tough sell to hit the road just to place a sports bet when you can simply whip out your iPhone or Android mobile and bet from wherever you happen to be.
Sports Betting Laws in Ohio
The simple truth is that the state of Ohio doesn’t have any laws on the books controlling sports betting over the Internet. There are a few federal laws to consider (PASPA was the most onerous of these and is thankfully gone), but the government is more interested in arresting and prosecuting providers of illicit sports gambling than they are in going after any individual bettors for participating in online sports gambling. Indeed, no Ohio resident has ever been arrested or fined or otherwise legally inconvenienced by using offshore sportsbooks.
For more information about Ohio’s specific gambling laws (and to see for yourself that these laws do not apply to individuals who place bets, but only to commercial services that offer bets inside OH borders), check out § 2915.01 and § 2915.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.
No, because most types of online sports wagering are legal in the Buckeye State. Not one arrest has ever been made in Ohio for the crime of playing at an online casino or sportsbook because in Ohio it isn’t a crime at all. To reiterate: There are no laws on the books that make sports betting in Ohio a crime.
Now that the federal government is focused on illegal sports gambling providers and can no longer use the 1961 Federal Wire Act to prosecute online casino or sports gamblers themselves (which they didn’t do anyways), Ohio sportsbooks at offshore sites are perfectly safe and far more convenient than the nearest tribal gaming centers. And of course, these tribal gaming centers do not yet have sports betting products for OH residents, though it is surmised that they’ll be able to offer this option sometime in the reasonably near future.
Legal Sports Betting For Ohio Residents
While Ohio has its fair share of land-based gaming venues, there is currently nowhere inside the state where residents can go to place legal sports wagers. However, there is plenty of legal sports betting for Ohio residents right at their fingertips, provided they use an offshore sportsbook that serves those living in the Buckeye State.
In Ohio, it is 100% legal for individuals to place sports bets. The only snag is that due to a lack of regulatory oversight, no commercial sports betting operators are available to legally accept such wagers inside OH state borders. With the overturn of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, 1992), this is bound to change in the future as OH modernizes its wagering industry, but for the time being, there are no legal for-profit venues that will accept sports wagers in the state.
Of course, if you’re placing your bets at overseas sports betting sites like those outlined on this page, all that becomes a moot point, and you are free to wager on all the players, teams, and sports that you wish. Indeed, even when Ohio’s legalized sports wagering industry takes off, you’ll still get superior lines on many matchups by using these offshore books, so you will want to keep your online memberships in good standing.
If you live in Ohio, you can pretty much take your pick of local gaming options. There are tribal gaming centers and other traditional casino gambling sites near enough for a short road trip, but most sports betting fans prefer the convenience and simplicity of a legal Ohio sports betting site rather than taking a road trip to a nearby land casino or flying off to a legal Vegas sportsbook or bar that allows sports betting. With PASPA’s overturn, there are now options closer to home, but even still, it’s a tough sell to hit the road just to place a sports bet when you can simply whip out your iPhone or Android mobile and bet from wherever you happen to be.
Sports Betting Laws in Ohio
The simple truth is that the state of Ohio doesn’t have any laws on the books controlling sports betting over the Internet. There are a few federal laws to consider (PASPA was the most onerous of these and is thankfully gone), but the government is more interested in arresting and prosecuting providers of illicit sports gambling than they are in going after any individual bettors for participating in online sports gambling. Indeed, no Ohio resident has ever been arrested or fined or otherwise legally inconvenienced by using offshore sportsbooks.
For more information about Ohio’s specific gambling laws (and to see for yourself that these laws do not apply to individuals who place bets, but only to commercial services that offer bets inside OH borders), check out § 2915.01 and § 2915.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.
No, because most types of online sports wagering are legal in the Buckeye State. Not one arrest has ever been made in Ohio for the crime of playing at an online casino or sportsbook because in Ohio it isn’t a crime at all. To reiterate: There are no laws on the books that make sports betting in Ohio a crime.
Now that the federal government is focused on illegal sports gambling providers and can no longer use the 1961 Federal Wire Act to prosecute online casino or sports gamblers themselves (which they didn’t do anyways), Ohio sportsbooks at offshore sites are perfectly safe and far more convenient than the nearest tribal gaming centers. And of course, these tribal gaming centers do not yet have sports betting products for OH residents, though it is surmised that they’ll be able to offer this option sometime in the reasonably near future.
Bovada is a legal and trusted sportsbook that provides a great betting experience for bettors in Ohio. The sports betting site allows bettors to be able to place wagers from their phones with the mobile version and bet on games in real-time using the live betting feature. Players can bet on a wide range of sports from the NFL and NBA to Darts and Cricket. There are even wagers that can be made on Political Events and Entertainment.
Many bettors use BetOnline as a way to have an enjoyable sports betting experience online. Once you sign up for an account you can bet on endless professional domestic and international sports including basketball, baseball, football, cricket, soccer, darts, and more. Players can use the many deposit methods when funding their BetOnline accounts such as debit or credit cards, money orders, Bitcoin, Litecoin, cashier’s checks, and more. The online offshore sportsbook is available in a mobile version that lets you deposit and even withdraw funds while using your phone.
SportsBetting is a popular online sportsbook that provides odds and bet lines for bettors to place wagers on sports. When wagering on SportsBetting, you can use different bet types such as money lines, points spread, props, and futures. Bettors can use the many lucrative promotions and bonuses offered by the sportsbook including Welcome and Risk-Free bet bonuses. These bonuses are updated and changed from constantly but are easy to find on the site under the Promotions tab.
One of the biggest football states is Ohio and MyBookie has most of the fans here that love sports. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns have a lot of games they play against it each every year so for the most part, there will be players here that will place bets against each other. All the Bengals and the Browns have all of their games on MyBookie so fans know they can log in and place big bets every weekend. Live betting is an option as well as the mobile betting feature as well. There is nothing that MyBookie does not have so hurry and sign up!
Xbet is trusted by bettors around the country when wagering on their favorite sports teams. Once you register for an Xbet account, you can take advantage of the many professional sports odds and bet lines along with college sports, horse racing, entertainment, and political odds. You can deposit and withdraw funds using a mobile device or tablet by using the mobile version of the sportsbook that can be accessed without having to download an app.
The Federal Wire Act (1961) and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA, 2006) are the two remaining federal sports betting laws that apply to Ohio. PASPA used to apply, but it has been struck down by the Supreme Court and no longer prevents OH from establishing and regulating its own sports wagering industry. That said, Ohio has not yet made any legislative move to implement sports betting, and it will likely be another year or two before they do.
The Wire Act applies only to bookmakers, barring them from accepting wagers across state lines. This is why OH residents cannot simply get on the Internet or pick up a phone and place a wager with a legal sportsbook operating out of Las Vegas, for example. However, the Wire Act does not apply to non-US entities, making offshore sportsbooks immune from the law.
The only law that has any restrictive qualities when it comes to legal offshore gambling sites is the UIGEA, which prohibits financial institutions from knowingly processing funds used to pay for sports bets or other gambling expenditures. The top sites that offer legal online Ohio sports betting provide plenty of different banking methods that help their customers to avoid being inconvenienced by the UIGEA. Just know that if your card is ever declined, you are not in trouble, and you can either use a different card or switch to a decentralized payment method like cryptocurrency (Bitcoin etc.).
The legal Ohio sportsbooks we have reviewed on this page all require their players to be just 18 years old, but Ohio’s legal gambling age is actually 21. We advise all Ohio players abide by the state’s legal gambling age in order to make sure they don’t get into any trouble. However, it is extremely unlikely that you would see any legal issues arise from using these OH sportsbooks at 18 or older.
Most legal Ohio sports betting sites provide a mobile “app” or mobile version of their site to cater to their on-the-go clientele, and it is becoming more and more of the norm. Mobile-optimized websites allow sports bettors in Ohio to bet from anywhere they want, at any time.
Even better, since these aren’t actual native smartphone apps, Apple and Google have no say over their content, and anyone can use them. If you have an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Amazon Fire device, you can enjoy mobile sports betting at legal Ohio sportsbooks. It is fast, efficient, and encrypted, and your experience promises to be top-quality in every respect. You can even play these sportsbooks’ various live-dealer casino games on your smartphone or tablet!
How Can Ohio Citizens Find Legal Sportsbook Sites?
Look for any legal offshore sportsbook that accepts American players. If they do, they are sure to accept bets from Ohio residents.
What Should an Ohio Resident Look For in a Sports Betting Site?
Online sportsbooks, like online casinos, use bonus offers and other promotions to compete for your bankroll. Knowing this, be sure to look for the most lucrative welcome bonus offers as well as the most valuable bets available on your chosen teams and sports. Remember, it is always best to have memberships at more than one OH sports betting website for this very reason, as shopping lines is the best edge a sports gambler can ever hope to get.
Can You Bet On Politics At Ohio Sportsbooks?
Absolutely! In fact, betting on politics is probably the only redeeming thing about the institution in the first place! You can bet on politics at legal Ohio sportsbooks, which will typically only offer major state-level and federal races. You can also wager on entertainment odds, like the outcomes of various reality shows and awards shows and the like. Some sites (like BetOnline) will even let you wager on the stock market and other financial markets, which is like betting on sports betting. Meta!
Ohio is a hotbed of successful sports teams, as it is home to two of the biggest sports cities in the entire country in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Cleveland is home to professional sports teams in the NFL (Browns), the NBA (Cavaliers), and the MLB (Indians). Cincinnati also has professional teams in the NFL and MLB, in the Bengals and Reds, respectively. There are also two pro teams in Columbus: the Columbus Crew of the MLS and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL.
Ohio also plays host to one of the most successful college football programs in the country in the Ohio State Buckeyes, not to mention other relevant football programs like the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Akron Zips, the Miami (OH) Red Hawks, the Toledo Rockets, and the Ohio Bobcats. You can also find betting odds on bigtime Ohio college basketball programs like the Xavier Musketeers and the Dayton Flyers (Steph Curry’s alma mater).
Of course, the preponderance of local favorites throughout Ohio is one reason why, even when local land-based sportsbooks start cropping up in the future, you’ll want to keep your memberships active at your favorite overseas books. When a local bookmaker gets a lot of “home team” action, they’ve got to balance their books by increasing their house take, or vigorish. In short, this means that you get less valuable lines. Because all the best online sportsbooks take bettors from across all of the US, there are no “home teams,” and thus wagers don’t get skewed. Always consider your bottom line!