Legal statewide since January 1, 2023, under HB 29. Around 13-15 online sportsbooks operate, including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, and Caesars.
Legal and regulated since 2017 (HB 132). DraftKings, FanDuel, and other operators are licensed and pay fees.
Legal in person. Ohio has four commercial casinos with full table games and slots, plus seven racinos offering slot-style video lottery terminals at racetracks. Live poker is spread at the four casinos.
Pari-mutuel horse racing is legal at Ohio’s racetracks, overseen by the Ohio State Racing Commission. Online advance-deposit wagering operates in a legally ambiguous space.
The state lottery is legal and sold in stores. There is no online lottery (iLottery) — a proposal to add one was stripped from the 2025 budget.
Grey area. Sweepstakes casinos currently operate in Ohio; a bill to ban them (HB 298) has not passed, and there has been no broad enforcement action so far.
Not legal. Ohio has no regulated online casino. A 2025 bill to legalize iGaming (SB 197) stalled in committee and was stripped from the budget, and Governor DeWine opposes online casinos. Offshore sites accept Ohio players in a grey area.
Not legal. There is no regulated online poker in Ohio — only live poker at the four commercial casinos. Any online poker would come only through a broader iGaming law, which hasn’t passed. Offshore sites such as ACR and Ignition serve Ohio players in a grey area.
In 2025, lawmakers introduced bills to legalize online casino and poker (SB 197 and HB 298), and Governor DeWine floated doubling the sports-betting tax to 40%. Both efforts failed: the tax stayed at 20%, iGaming was stripped from the budget, and SB 197 stalled in committee. DeWine remains opposed to online casinos.
Just months after launch, Ohio doubled its sports-betting tax from 10% to 20% in Governor DeWine’s state budget — one of the faster tax increases any state has imposed on a new market.
Ohio launched mobile and retail sports betting statewide on January 1, 2023, with more than a dozen apps live on day one. It quickly became one of the larger US sports-betting markets.
Governor DeWine signed HB 29, legalizing sports betting in Ohio after years of debate and setting a January 2023 launch.
Ohio passed HB 132, legalizing and regulating daily fantasy sports under the Casino Control Commission.
Ohio’s four commercial casinos opened in 2012-2013, followed by seven racinos offering video lottery terminals at racetracks under the Ohio Lottery.
Ohio voters passed Issue 3, a constitutional amendment authorizing four commercial casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo — the foundation of the state’s modern gaming industry.
Ohio voters approved a state lottery in 1973 (tickets went on sale in 1974) to fund education — for decades the only legal gambling in the state.
Ohio is a partial market. Mobile sports betting and daily fantasy are legal and regulated — but online casino and online poker are not. Like New York and Florida, Ohio legalized sports betting without opening up online casino gaming.
That could change, but not soon. In 2025, State Senator Nathan Manning introduced SB 197 to legalize online casino games, online poker, and an online lottery, and a companion House bill (HB 298) would legalize iGaming while banning sweepstakes casinos. Proposed tax rates ran as high as 36-40%. But the effort stalled: iGaming was stripped from the state budget, SB 197 never got a floor vote, and — critically — Governor Mike DeWine opposes it, arguing against “putting a casino in everyone’s pocket.” It’s a notable contrast with neighboring Pennsylvania and Michigan, which run full regulated online casinos.
For now, Ohioans who want to play real-money online poker or casino games do so at offshore sites like Ignition, Bovada, and ACR Poker. As in Texas and California, Ohio law doesn’t clearly regulate or prohibit them, and the state doesn’t prosecute individual players — but offshore sites carry no Ohio oversight. There is also live poker at all four commercial casinos.
The practical reality: Ohio sports bettors use the legal apps (FanDuel, DraftKings, and others). For online poker and casino games there’s no legal option yet, so most players use established offshore sites and withdraw via crypto.
Ohio has legal, regulated mobile sports betting and DFS — but no legal online casino or poker. For sports, use the licensed apps; for casino games and poker, the only online option is offshore. We hold personal accounts at the offshore sites we list.
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Solid all-rounder — poker + sports + casino with the best card deposit rates
Good — Best US poker site, solid casino, crypto-first
Strong casino library with 500+ games, fast crypto, but no poker room
Ignition’s sister casino — great for slots and blackjack, fast crypto payouts
Good casino, no poker — best for slots and blackjack variety
Ignition family casino — strong table games, fast crypto, slots-focused branding
Solid all-rounder — poker + sports + casino with the best card deposit rates
Good — Best US poker site, solid casino, crypto-first
Best US MTT schedule and rakeback — but ongoing bot/RTA concerns at mid-stakes
ACR’s sister site — same network, same games, rakeback option
Subscription sweepstakes poker from the official WPT — novel legal structure, thin games.
Solid all-rounder — poker + sports + casino with the best card deposit rates
The biggest regulated US name with casino, poker, and sportsbook under one login.
Polished app and strong brand, but thin video poker, no 24/7 support, and state-variable game counts hold it back from the top tier.
1x playthrough on the welcome bonus is genuinely rare and iRush Rewards is transparent — but the ~400-game library is small and player-reported support issues drag the experience down.
Slickest casino app in US regulated gaming on the surface — but Trustpilot sits at 1.2/5 on consistent complaints about slow withdrawals, poor support, and bet-grading disputes.
Ohio’s casino industry is entirely commercial — there are no tribal casinos in the state. Voters authorized four casinos through a 2009 constitutional amendment, and they opened in 2012-2013.
The four commercial casinos are Hollywood Casino Columbus, Hollywood Casino Toledo, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati (formerly JACK Cincinnati), and JACK Cleveland Casino. All four offer full table games, slots, and live poker rooms. Alongside them, seven racinos — racetracks with slot-style video lottery terminals — operate under the Ohio Lottery, including MGM Northfield Park, Miami Valley Gaming, and Belterra Park.
Together, Ohio’s casinos and racinos generate roughly $2.4 billion a year, and with sports betting added, total gaming revenue reached about $3.4 billion in 2025. Casinos are taxed at 33% of gross revenue — one reason the state keeps eyeing online casino as a new source of money.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission licenses and oversees all sportsbooks and DFS operators, with integrity monitoring and a patron dispute process. Time Out Ohio lets you self-exclude for 1 year, 5 years, or lifetime.
Ohio's four casinos are regulated by the OCCC and its seven racinos by the Ohio Lottery. Full in-person consumer protections and responsible-gaming programs apply.
No Ohio protection. Offshore casino and poker sites are unlicensed in Ohio — no fund segregation, no dispute recourse. If a site refuses to pay, you have none of the safeguards the regulated market provides.
Our guidance: For sports betting, use the OCCC-licensed apps. For online poker and casino games — not yet legal in Ohio — use established offshore operators with 5+ year track records, and withdraw via crypto. Ohio does not prosecute individual players.
Gambling should be entertainment. If it stops being fun — or if you're gambling to solve financial problems — free, confidential help is available 24/7.
Primary sources cited throughout this guide.
