With the universal launch date for sports betting in Ohio set for Jan. 1, 2023, apparently most of the state’s residents aren’t all-in when it comes to wagering on athletic events. At least that’s what a recent poll reveals.
The statewide poll conducted by NBC4, Emerson College and The Hill reported that 84% of Ohioans do not plan to wager on sports at all. The poll also revealed that 8% of Ohioans who do plan to bet on sports will do so through a combination of online and in-person wagering. A thousand Ohioans took part in the poll, which was conducted through an online survey from Sept. 12-13 and had a 3% margin of error.
Meanwhile, a local sports radio station in Lima conducted a much smaller poll on Twitter, with a far higher percentage of its respondents planning to wager on sports once legal betting is available. Out of 44 respondents, 45.5% said they planned to bet on sports regularly once it becomes legal in Ohio.
#CookieAndTheMonster Poll Question: Will you be a regular gambler once sports betting becomes legal in Ohio?
— Lima's Sports Radio 93.1 The Fan (@931TheFan) December 9, 2021
Working toward the universal start date
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 29 on Dec. 22, 2021, which legalized sports betting in Ohio. The Ohio Casino Control Commission has been working over the past nine months on building the state’s sports betting apparatus. The process requires several steps to get to the point when Ohioans will be able to finally place a bet on a sporting event.
Besides having the responsibility to approve sports betting rules and regulations, the OCCC is currently in the process of reviewing thousands of applications for sports betting licenses. All of the top mobile sportsbooks, including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook, have applied for sports betting licenses.
Ohio is projected to become one of the top-grossing states for sports betting once it gets off the ground, and wagering on sports in the Buckeye State is expected to be quite different from doing it elsewhere. Besides being able to bet on sports by using a smartphone, computer, tablet, or at a retail sportsbook, Ohioans will be able to place wagers through self-service kiosks at sports bars, restaurants, and even supermarkets.
Brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are expected to be built at the four casinos and seven racinos located across the state. A total of 10 professional sports organizations, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cincinnati Reds, and Columbus Blue Jackets, have also been approved to have retail sportsbooks on site and have established partnerships with online sportsbooks.
