Ohio’s constitution bans gambling that is not licensed by the state. Up until the 2010s, legal gambling options in Ohio were limited to parimutuel horse race betting (legalized in 1933), lottery games (1974), and bingo (1975).Ĭonstruction of Vegas-style casinos was authorized in 2009, when both lawmakers and voters in the cash-strapped state realized that Ohio gamblers were spending their money at casinos in Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.įollowing the fall of PASPA, the federal prohibition, land-based and mobile sports betting was legalized in December 2021, and the first retail sportsbooks and mobile apps went live in January 2023.
