Ohio Betting News

The good news: sports betting is now legal in the state of Ohio and its population of 12 million.

The bad news: there's still no official set-up to actually betting on sports. That won't last long, however.

At the tail end of 2021, the Ohio Legislature passed HB 29 to legalize and regulate the practice. HB 29 covers gambling anywhere and everywhere inside the state — brick-and-mortar facilities, terminals in bars and restaurants, and most of all, on the Internet. With Ohio's inclusion, more than one-half of the USA now has legal sports betting in some capacity. Here's what you need to know about what happens next for would-be bettors in the Buckeye State:

Here's some good news for people if The Buckeye State: Legal online sports betting is set to hit Ohio no later than 2023. The decision comes as many places in the United States have officially greenlit sports betting or have legislation in place that intends to do so in the near future. As is the case with every legalization, though, Ohio still has a few steps left before residents can start placing wagers without issue.

As more and more places in the United States continue to legalize sports betting, Ohio remains one of the biggest holdouts. Though legislation has been proposed in the form of HB 29, there has been very little movement on the subject, even as the state saw a stark decrease in local revenue streams over the past 24 months. Not even seeing nearby states like Illinois adjust their stance on sports betting has driven Ohio to action. It has made many wonder whether a real change will ever come.

Well, as it turns out, real change may be on the horizon. Ohio could soon vote on a bill to legalize sports betting in certain forms across the state. 

But how soon? And what does this vote actually mean? And what can it actually do? Do we have a chance of seeing legal sports betting in Ohio over the near term?

Let's break it all down.