Ohio online casino gambling is not legal at this time and likely won’t be legal until 2023 at the earliest. Ohio is a state that is looking to add additional gambling options in 2021, but those are coming in the form of Ohio sports betting.
There has been a bill introduced that would allow for online lottery sales to take place in Ohio, and that could ultimately lead to online casino gambling. Some neighboring states have already launched this industry, and Ohio has seen how successful those states have been.
There are 11 casinos and racinos in Ohio, and the state does have a strong casino gambling industry. All of the gambling must currently be down in person, but bettors are hoping that this changes in the future.
OH Online Casino Rules
The first step towards legalizing OH online casino gambling is introducing a bill that would allow this to happen. The next step for lawmakers would be to create rules that would govern the new OH online casino gambling industry.
It is likely that most of the current casino rules in the state of Ohio would just transition into online gambling as well. Casinos would be able to offer the same games online as they do in person, and only those casinos or racinos would be allowed to apply for a license.
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There are four standalone casino properties in the state of Ohio, and these are owned and operated by some big names in the industry. The Horseshoe Casinos in Cincinnati and Cleveland and Hollywood Casinos in both Columbus and Toledo are the most popular destinations in the state.
These properties would likely be the first to offer online casino gambling if they were given that opportunity. Online poker would probably be legalized simultaneously, although that is not a given in all markets with online casino gambling.
OH Casino Regulations
You won’t find any recent OH online casino bills, and it’s unclear if that is going to change anytime soon. Ohio lawmakers have been focusing on sports betting since early 2020, which has taken up much of the time and energy.
Ohio House Bill 194 is the piece of legislation that has drawn the most attention, although there is a bill in the Senate as well. Lawmakers have attempted to add online lottery sales to HB 194, but it’s unclear if that will stay in the bill as it continues to advance.
One of the biggest debates centers around which group will oversee the new industry, and that could be a problem with online casino gambling as well. Some lawmakers want the Ohio Lottery Commission to be in charge, while others prefer the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
It would make sense for the OCCC to be put in charge of OH online casino gambling, but it’s unclear in which direction lawmakers will want to go. None of this will matter until a bill is officially introduced.
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Summary
Lawmakers in Ohio have had a hard enough time attempting to legalize online sports betting that online casino gambling hasn’t even been brought up. This would be the next logical step after sports betting is finally launched, but that might not come until 2022.
The fact that Ohio is surrounded by online casinos with both Michigan online casinos and PA online casinos around does put some pressure on lawmakers to get a bill passed. Ohio is losing out on revenue to these states, and a new bill could keep those dollars in the state.
Ohio does have the casino industry in place to transition into online casino gambling, but nothing appears imminent at this time. The success of online sports betting will also have an impact on how lawmakers feel moving forward.
