Ohio Gaming Laws

1. Gambling Laws By State
2. Ohio Attorney General Gaming Laws

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SBAM registration/licensing requirements apply to:

• Vendors who distribute Type-B and/or Type-C SBAMs in Ohio
• Operators of Type-B and/or Type-C SBAMs in Ohio
• Locations where Type-C SBAMs are available for play
• Key employees of Ohio vendors, operators, and locations, who are individuals who:
• have executive decision-making authority over the Ohio SBAM operations of any SBAM applicant/licensee, or
• own 25% or more of any SBAM applicant/licensee

Type-A SBAMs require no license.

Applicants who use both Type-B and Type-C SBAMs need only apply for a Type-C license.

Entities that are both operators and vendors can request a waiver of one-half of the application and license fees.

Registration

Operators and vendors must register with the Commission using the State of Ohio eLicense system.

Registration for operators and vendors began on April 23, 2018. The deadline to register continue conducting business while the license application is pending is Sunday, July 22, 2018.

Gambling Laws By State

Registration Fees

• Type-B operators – $25 per location
• Type-C operators – $200 per Type-C location; $25 per Type-B location
• Vendors — $200 per vendor
• Registration is not required or available for locations.

Licensing

Operators, vendors, locations, and key employees must also be licensed. The licensure process is also completed using the State of Ohio eLicense system and is nearly identical to the registration process.

All license applications must be submitted by Tuesday, August 21, 2018.

License and application fees:

• Type-B operators – $1,500 application fee, $1,500 license fee, valid for 3 years
• Type-C operators – $3,000 application fee, $3,000 license fee, valid for 3 years
• Type-C locations – $250 application fee, $250 license fee, valid for 5 years
• Vendors – $3,000 application fee, $3,000 license fee, valid for 3 years
• Key employees of operators, locations, or vendors – $250 application fee, $250 license fee, valid for 5 years

Entities that are both operators and vendors can request a waiver of one-half of the application and license fees.

Game Approval

For vendors of SBAM games, game approval:

• Can be submitted to the OCCC for consideration
• Can be submitted to a certified testing lab for consideration

Once a version of a game is approved, any vendor can distribute that version of the game.

No stickers or certificates will be issued for approved games. A list of approved games can be found on the Commission’s website.

Starting 90 days after the Commission issues the vendor/operator/location license to an entity, that entity may offer for sale/operation only SBAMs that have been approved by the Commission.

Ohio Attorney General Gaming Laws

• Year Ohio Regulated Gambling: Horse racing (1933), Lottery (1974), Bingo (1975), Casinos (2012)
• Estimated Tax Revenue from Gambling: $1.1 billion
• Estimated Gambling Revenue: $3.5 billion
• Ohio Gambling Age: 18 for lottery, bingo, and racing, 21 for casinos
• Smoking ban: Ohio requires casino smoking areas to have outside ventilation
• Ohio Online gambling: Horse racing is the only form of legal online gambling

Ohio casinos were one of the last markets in the region to be legalized; occurring in 2012. All of the neighboring states, except Kentucky, were luring gamblers to their own state casinos. Voters decided to act quickly and keep the gambling revenue and jobs at local Ohio casinos.

There was little Ohio gambling before the casinos became legal. Horse racing was legal but in decline; before the tracks were allowed to add slots. This was able to keep them in business despite lingering attendance. Tracks have live racing and race books.

Ohio has a state lottery and the charities are allowed to offer bingo.

Ohio Casinos Map & Guide

• Horseshoe Cleveland
• Hollywood Toledo
• Horseshoe Columbus
• Horseshoe Cincinnati
• Hard Rock

• Number of B&M Casinos: 11
• Number of Poker Rooms: 7
• Number of Indian Casinos: 0

Types of Ohio Online Gambling

The only form of legal online gambling in Ohio is horse racing. Apps and websites operated by companies like TwinSpires and TVG accept action from Ohio residents.

Daily fantasy sports sites accept players from Ohio. The companies claim to be skill gaming sites and not gambling. Ohio’s attorney general and state legislature have recently discusses this issue. Major daily fantasy sports sites that accept Ohio players include DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo!, and CBS Sports.

There are dozens of online casinos, poker and sports betting sites that accept Ohio players. None is licensed in the state. These sites are considered to be illegal.

Types of Live Ohio Gambling

• Slots: Yes
• Blackjack: Yes
• Poker: Yes
• Craps/Roulette: Yes
• Horses: Yes
• Lottery: Yes

There are 11 Ohio casinos operating in the state; four of them are resort-style casinos. The casinos in Ohio offer a wide variety of casino games including, slot machines, video poker, craps, roulette, blackjack and other house-banked card games. Live poker rooms are also available. The other seven Ohio casinos are considered to be racinos, located at off-track betting facilities. These resemble video lottery casinos.

Charities may spread bingo and raffles. Poker is no longer available for these nonprofit organizations.

There are eight live horse racing tracks in Ohio. These also offer off-track betting.

The Ohio Lottery sells scratch-off and lotto tickets. These are available at most convenience stores.

Ohio Gambling Laws

Ohio gambling laws have a minimum gambling age of 18 years to gamble at licensed establishments. The minimum gambling age for casinos in Ohio is 21 years to gamble. Most first gambling offenses are a first-degree misdemeanor. Subsequent offenses are fifth-degree felonies according to Ohio gambling laws.

All charities that offer bingo and raffles must pay a $200 license per year to the state. New organizations must pay $500 for the first license. This is available to religious, fraternal, rescue, and veterans organizations. Charities were once permitted to offer poker tournaments, or so they at least claimed. The last charity poker establishment was forced out of operation in 2013.

List of Ohio Casinos and Racetracks

There are currently 11 Ohio casinos. Four casinos are resorts, while the other seven are Ohio racinos; located at the racetracks.

Hollywood Casinos in Ohio

Two of the casinos in Ohio are owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties, who own all of the Hollywood Casinos around the nation. They have casinos located in Columbus and Toledo, so players in those areas can visit these two resorts and gamble. Having a casino in the heart of the Ohio capital and another populated city are great advantages.

Horseshoe Casinos in Ohio

The other two Ohio casinos are owned by one of the largest gambling corporation in the United States, Caesars Entertainment Corporation. Their Ohio casino locations are in Cincinnati and Cleveland, two of the largest cities in the state. Being backed by such a large casino conglomerate can give players the assurance that they will receive a quality gaming experience.

You can check out any of the four Ohio casinos by looking at our basic information table for directions and their website. You can also check out our Ohio casinos map and guide to get better locations.

There are 7 Ohio racinos within state borders. Despite being called “casinos”, they cannot offer all of the same games that the actual casinos in Ohio offer. At most, you can place bets on the horse races, as well as play on the thousands of slot machines.

Each of the racinos also offers a horse track. Off-track betting may be found at these locations.

Charities offer bingo halls throughout Ohio. These are usually in veteran’s halls and lodges. Religious and educational organizations may also spread these games. Tickets to the state lottery may be purchased at thousands of retail stores. Most are gas stations and convenience stores.

History of Ohio Gambling

Horse racing dates back to the early 1800’s in Ohio. Tracks in Cleveland were home to quarter mile horse tracks. Harness racing hit the scene towards the mid-1800’s. These races were not regulated. The Central Trotting Circuit, also known as the Grand Circuit, was created in the 1870’s to address some of the problems at the tracks. The state decided to take over the regulation of horse racing in 1933. That is when the state legalized a state commission to oversee the races and eventually off-track racing.

It was the mid-1970’s before more forms of gambling were legalized in Ohio. That is when a state lottery was approved by voters. Charity gambling, including bingo and raffles, were also legalized at that time.

The 1990’s and 2000’s saw neighboring states approve casinos. Gamblers in Ohio were taking their action to Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In 2009, voters approved four Ohio casinos and racinos at the tracks. On May 14, 2012, the first resort-style casino opened in Cleveland; the Horseshoe Casino. The Hollywood Casino opened two weeks later in Toledo. Racinos also launched in 2012. There are currently seven racinos and four casinos in Ohio.

The opening of these Ohio casinos caused state officials to take a second look at the gray area gambling spread in the state. Some charities, or groups masquerading as one, operated poker rooms. These were thought to be illegal but that was never enforced. By 2013, the last charity poker room was closed.

Sweepstakes machines were another form of questionably legal gambling available in Ohio. These establishments sold computer time that came with a sweepstakes function. Players would open the games on computers to see if they won. The amount of the sweepstakes value just happened to be the same as the time purchased. Opponents considered these to be slot parlors that found a back door. A May 2013 bill sought to take these machines out of service. The bill became law later that year.

Ohio Casinos & Gambling FAQ

The minimum Ohio gambling age is 18 years for bingo, lottery and racing. Ohio casinos require players to have a minimum gambling age of 21 years.

Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, and Columbus are home to the state’s four resort casinos.

Slots, video poker, live poker, craps, roulette, baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are among the available games at Ohio casinos.

Ohio racinos may spread slots, video poker, and electronic table games.

Yes. It sells scratch-off and lotto tickets.

There are no forms of legalized online gambling in the state. Any online poker, casino or sports betting site is illegal.

The sites claim exemption as a skill game. Ohio officials have done nothing to refute that.

DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo! and CBS Sports are the main daily fantasy sports sites that accept Ohio players.