After decades of bucking legal sports betting, the Buckeye state goes live today with online NFL betting at the major online sportsbooks.
Ohio sports betting has long been a factor, in part due to its proximity to traditional betting areas in Michigan, Illinois and Pennsylvania. And the state is flush with professional and college sports programs that have long attracted betting interest from across the country.
When NFL betting in Ohio goes live, what happens?
The main NFL official sportsbooks – Draft Kings and FanDuel – are each offering a special Ohio offer of bonus bets to kick off 2023.
At Draft Kings, any $5 wager earns a new customer $200 in bonus bets that get paid out in $25 wagers. FanDuel offers a similar promotion with its Bet $5, Get $200 bonus bets offer.
Laws were passed earlier in 2022 and requests for sportsbook applications were issued in May.
The move should open the floodgates to wagering on Ohio State football and hoops as well as Ohio Valley Conference schools. It also means wagering on NFL (Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns), NBA (Cleveland Cavaliers), NHL (Columbus Blue Jackets) and MLB (Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians) will increase wildly.
No more offshore sportsbook wagering required or crossing state borders to wager in Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Indiana to place wagers. All those states have enjoyed legal football betting for several years.
VISIT DRAFT KINGS FOR BONUS BETS | CHECK OUT FANDUEL FOR $200 BONUS BETS