Ohio

Last verified September 27, 2026

By the Legal Sportsbooks US editorial team

Ohio

Online and retail

Legal since

January 1, 2023 (online and retail)

Minimum age

21 (18 for daily fantasy)

Regulator

Ohio Casino Control Commission

Licensed apps

13 online sportsbooks

State law

Ohio Rev. Code ch. 3775

Is sports betting legal in Ohio?

Yes, online and in person. House Bill 29, signed by Governor Mike DeWine on December 22, 2021 and codified at Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3775, legalized sports gaming, and betting went live on January 1, 2023. You must be 21 to bet. The Ohio Casino Control Commission regulates it, and the state takes 20% of sportsbook revenue.

Where you can bet

The Commission's licensee list, updated September 8, 2026, shows 13 online sportsbooks operating: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, bet365, Fanatics, BetRivers, Hard Rock, Bally's, Penn Sports Interactive, betJACK, Prime Sportsbook and Ember. Each app runs under a Type A license held by an Ohio casino, racino, pro team or other venue, so FanDuel is tied to Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley and bet365 to the Cleveland Guardians, for example. The law caps Type A licenses at 25.

Retail sportsbooks are open at the four casinos (Hollywood Columbus, Hollywood Toledo, Hard Rock Cincinnati and JACK Cleveland) and the seven racinos, plus Nationwide Arena and Great American Ball Park. The cap for Type B retail licenses is 40. The Lottery's Type C kiosk program has shrunk: of eight Type C proprietors licensed, two are still active.

You can bet on Ohio college teams, but player props on college athletes have been banned since February 23, 2024.

How Ohio legalized sports betting

Issue 3 and the 2009 casino amendment

Article XV, Section 6 of the Ohio Constitution bans lotteries except the forms it authorizes. Voters approved Issue 3 on November 3, 2009, 1,713,288 to 1,519,636 (52.99%). It added Article XV, Section 6(C), which authorized one casino each in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo and Franklin County, set a 33% tax on gross casino revenue, and created the Ohio Casino Control Commission. The same year the legislature passed House Bill 1 of 2009, letting the Lottery run video lottery terminals at licensed horse tracks, now the seven racinos.

Daily fantasy was legalized in 2017. House Bill 132 was signed December 22, 2017 and took effect March 23, 2018. It created Chapter 3774, put fantasy contests under the Commission, and barred players under 18.

House Bill 29 (2021)

The Supreme Court struck down the federal sports betting ban in Murphy v. NCAA on May 14, 2018, and Ohio took three and a half years to act. HB 29 was introduced February 3, 2021 as a veterans ID card bill and passed the House 91 to 2 in that form on March 10. The Senate amended it and passed it 31 to 0 on June 24, the House refused to concur 0 to 97, and a conference committee (Reps. Jay Edwards, Bill Seitz and Adam Miller; Sens. Kirk Schuring, Nathan Manning and Cecil Thomas) wrote the sports gaming version. Both chambers approved the conference report on December 8, 2021, the House 72 to 13 and the Senate 31 to 1. DeWine signed it December 22, and it took effect March 23, 2022.

HB 29 created three license types: Type A for online sportsbooks, Type B for retail sportsbooks and Type C for kiosks in bars and other liquor-permit businesses, run through the Ohio Lottery. It set the minimum age at 21 and a 10% tax on sports gaming receipts. Sports gaming launched on January 1, 2023.

Fines, the tax increase and the college prop ban

The Commission began pursuing fines within the first week. In January 2023 the Commission sought $150,000 fines from DraftKings, Caesars and BetMGM over ads that lacked problem-gambling messages or promoted bets as "free" or "risk-free." In February 2023 DraftKings settled for $500,000, $350,000 of it for mailers sent to people under 21, and Penn National Gaming agreed to a $250,000 fine for targeting people under 21.

The biennial budget, Am. Sub. House Bill 33, doubled the tax to 20%. It became law effective July 4, 2023, and the Department of Taxation applied the new rate to receipts from July 1, 2023. DeWine proposed raising it again to 40% in his February 2025 budget, House Bill 96, and the legislature didn't include it in the final budget in June 2025.

The NCAA asked the Commission on January 31, 2024 to prohibit bets on individual college athletes, citing harassment reports from schools including the University of Dayton and Ohio State. Executive Director Matthew Schuler granted the request on February 23, 2024 under R.C. 3775.02, effective that day, and gave operators until March 1 to void affected bets.

Sports betting court cases in Ohio

State ex rel. Walgate v. Kasich (casino and racino challenge)

Filed October 21, 2011 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (No. 11CV-13126), this suit challenged Issue 3, the racino video lottery terminals and the laws carrying them out. On March 24, 2016 the Ohio Supreme Court held that one plaintiff, Frederick Kinsey, had standing on an equal-protection claim and the others didn't (2016-Ohio-1176). The trial court then granted judgment on the pleadings on September 26, 2016, the Tenth District affirmed on June 27, 2017 (2017-Ohio-5528), and the U.S. Supreme Court denied review on October 1, 2018 (No. 17-1599). We didn't find any court challenge to HB 29 itself.

KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler (S.D. Ohio; 6th Cir.)

The Commission sent cease-and-desist letters on March 31, 2025 to Kalshi, Robinhood and Crypto.com, finding that their sports event contracts were sports gaming that requires a license and noting they were open to people under 21. On August 25, 2025 it warned its own licensees that partnering with a company offering sports event contracts in Ohio could put their licenses at risk. On October 6 it gave Kalshi until October 20 to comply.

Kalshi sued the next day, October 7, 2025 (No. 2:25-cv-01165), naming the Commission, its members, Schuler and Attorney General Dave Yost, and arguing that the Commodity Exchange Act preempts Ohio's gambling laws. Chief Judge Sarah D. Morrison denied a preliminary injunction on March 9, 2026, holding that Kalshi hadn't shown its sports contracts are "swaps" under the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction and that it hadn't shown preemption even if they were. She denied an injunction pending appeal on March 20 and stayed the case on March 30. A Sixth Circuit motions panel also refused an injunction pending appeal on April 24, 2026, finding the merits at most "in equipoise."

The appeal (No. 26-3196) was consolidated with Tennessee's KalshiEX v. Orgel (No. 26-5235). The CFTC filed an amicus brief for Kalshi on May 12, 2026, and 39 states and D.C., led by Nevada and Utah, filed one on June 11. After argument on July 30, Judges Clay, Gibbons and Bloomekatz decided both appeals on September 25, 2026. Kalshi's sports contracts aren't swaps under the CEA, the panel held, and even if they were, the CEA neither expressly nor impliedly preempts Ohio's or Tennessee's gambling laws. It affirmed the Ohio denial, vacated Tennessee's injunction and remanded both. The ruling binds federal courts in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan, and it conflicts with the Third Circuit's April 6, 2026 ruling for Kalshi in KalshiEX v. Flaherty. As of September 27 the docket's last entry was the September 25 opinion and judgment.

KalshiEX LLC v. Morrison (the $5 million fine)

On April 14, 2026 the Commission served Kalshi with a notice of intent to impose a $5 million fine (Case No. 2026-SGR-001), alleging unlicensed sports gaming since about January 2025. Kalshi requested a hearing and a hearing examiner was appointed. On June 29, 2026 Kalshi sued in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (No. 26 CV 006013), naming Interim Executive Director Andromeda Morrison and arguing that the penalty has to be tried to a jury under the Ohio Constitution. It moved for a preliminary injunction on July 20. We couldn't confirm a ruling on that motion.

Underdog Exchange DCM v. Wilson (N.D. Ohio)

Underdog filed suit on September 8, 2026 (No. 1:26-cv-02169, Judge Donald Nugent) against Attorney General Andy Wilson, Morrison and the commissioners, seeking a declaration that federal law bars Ohio from enforcing its gambling laws against Underdog's prediction markets. Three days earlier its CEO had said it would give up its Ohio daily fantasy license. We found no ruling in the case as of September 27.

Ohio Gambling Recovery LLC v. Kalshi Inc.

A Delaware company filed this suit on June 11, 2025 in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas (No. 2025 CV 01517) under Ohio's Statute of Anne, R.C. Chapter 3763, which lets third parties sue to recover gambling losses. The ten defendants include Kalshi entities, Robinhood, two Susquehanna entities and Webull. Robinhood removed it to federal court on July 28, 2025 (N.D. Ohio No. 4:25-cv-01573) and Kalshi filed a separate removal. Judge Benita Y. Pearson sent it back to Mahoning County on March 30, 2026, finding no federal jurisdiction.

Prediction markets and daily fantasy

The Commission treats sports event contracts as unlicensed sports gaming, and the Sixth Circuit's September 25 ruling backs that position for now; the fights are described in the court-cases section above. Crypto.com said in December 2025 that it was no longer offering sports markets in Ohio. Novig (Ludlow Exchange, LLC, designated a contract market by the CFTC on June 16, 2026) lists Ohio as eligible, because its eligibility page excludes only Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, and it requires users to be 21 with ID. The Commission’s October 2, 2026 cease-and-desist letters to 10 prediction market operators named Novig and gave them until October 16 to confirm they had stopped, so Novig’s status in Ohio is unsettled.

Daily fantasy is licensed under Chapter 3774, and players must be 18. Underdog said on September 5, 2026 that it would surrender its Ohio fantasy license, because the state wouldn't let it offer both fantasy contests and prediction markets.

Help with a gambling problem

Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-589-9966.

Sources

Common questions

How we track and verify state laws

What does Legal Sportsbooks US track?

Every state's legal status, the date betting became legal, the minimum age, the regulator and the licensed apps, plus the legal history and court cases behind them, for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Our page on how we track and verify state laws explains the details.

What do the statuses mean?

Online and retail means licensed mobile apps and in-person sportsbooks both operate. Online only means betting happens through licensed apps, with no retail sportsbooks. Retail only means you can bet in person at licensed venues, but there's no statewide app. Not legal means no licensed sportsbooks operate. Legislation pending means a bill or ballot measure is moving, but betting hasn't launched. Not yet verified means we haven't confirmed the state's current status.

Can I bet on sports where I live?

The rules follow where you are when you place the bet. Licensed apps use geolocation to confirm you're inside a state where they can operate, and some states limit betting to certain premises. Find your state in the state index, or read our guide to location rules.

How old do you have to be to bet on sports?

It's 21 in 33 of the 40 jurisdictions with legal sports betting and 18 in five: Washington, D.C., Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wyoming. In North Dakota and Washington, the tribal casino sets the age.

How current is the tracker?

State laws and licenses change, so every state entry records the date it was last verified. If a status looks out of date, the state regulator's website has the official answer.

Is this legal advice?

No. We summarize public information about state sports betting laws. Confirm the rules with your state regulator before you bet, and don't wager more than you can afford to lose.