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• How To Report Illegal Gambling In Ohio
• Ohio Gambling Tax Laws
• Ohio Online Gambling Laws
• Ohio Bingo Laws And Regulations

For many years, Ohio was not a player in casino gambling. Players had to make the trip to neighboring states like Indiana and Pennsylvania to scratch their itch.

However, in 2009, Ohio decided to authorize the licensing of four land-based casinos. One in each of the major cities (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo). It took three years, but between May 2012 and March 2013, each of the four casinos opened its doors.

Slot machine-type gaming was further expanded by a legislative action in 2012 that put video lottery terminals (or VLTs) into the seven racetracks. VLTs are functionally the same as slot machines. They are actually administered differently and considered a form of lottery gambling, rather than a pure slot machine.

How To Report Illegal Gambling In Ohio

Still, in just five years, Ohio has managed to provide its residents with more than 18,000 video gaming and slot machine options – along with table games, poker, and horse racing.

The Ohio gambling commission, called the Ohio Casino Control Commission was created in 2011 with the passage of the Casino Control Law (Revised Code Section 3772). Some of the Commission’s duties include the licensing, regulation, investigation, and jurisdiction of all those involved with casino gaming.

1. There are no laws on the books for or against online gambling in Ohio. As such, there are no officially-regulated options for residents and visitors to the Buckeye State. However, the state just received a commissioned study from Spectrum Gaming Group.
2. Ohio Gambling Laws There are no laws regulating online gambling in Ohio for the time being. This doesn’t mean you’ll be breaking the law if you’re playing in online casinos from Ohio. You won’t be punished by the state’s law enforcement officials if you gamble online.

Ohio now finds itself in an odd position: perhaps having too many casinos available for its own good, both inside and near the state. Many of the state’s gambling options are clustered in its northeastern quadrant. Revenues are declining for the four Las Vegas-style casinos. The drop is largely being blamed on the proliferation of racinos throughout the state. These attract some of the vital slots gamblers away from the four big-city venues (sometimes to racinos inside the same city).

Many experts believe that the northeastern United States in general is over-saturated with casinos. There are simply not enough customer dollars to go around.

Still, as long as state legislatures have budget overruns and a desire not to raise taxes on consumer products, casino gambling will likely be a go-to option for states in years to come. This is especially true if the door for gambling has already been opened. Below are the 11 casinos and racinos in Ohio.

Additionally, another favorite kind of gambling could be on its way to Ohio: sports betting. Read on for details.

Sweepstakes casinos in Ohio

Social casino site options

Several of Ohio’s casinos have free sites available through their websites. The two Hollywood Gaming casinos (Dayton Raceway and Mahoning Valley) and the three Jack casinos (Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Thistledown) all offer visitors the opportunity to sample the brands of slots available at their land-based operations for free. This practice continues to be a wise idea. It both familiarizes and desensitizes customers and potential customers with the variety of games they can play.

In effect, customers will know what machines they want to play as soon as they step through the door. Jack’s play money site even offers free poker and table games, further enhancing the experience. All the sites allow players to link their player cards to their play money accounts. This leaves open the possibility that the casinos could link comps to the play money functionality and increase the likelihood of new and returning customers entering the premises.

As usual, Zynga, Slotomania, Big Fish, and Doubledown are all accessible from Ohio social media sites. MyVegas, the ubiquitous MGM-owned free comp site is also available. However, its usefulness is limited, as there are no MGM-owned properties nearby. As it stands, House of Blues and Gray Line Tours are likely the only options for redemption. Still, Ohioans have some avenues if they’d like to play the games without risking any money.

Ohio sports betting

While there are a few gambling options in the Buckeye State, sports betting is not one of them, at least for now.

There are legislative efforts currently making the round in Columbus to legalize sports betting but thus far, nothing of significance has happened. One hold up lawmakers are finding difficult to overcome is deciding which government agency will oversee Ohio sports betting, the Ohio Lottery or Casino Commission.

However, at least one operator appears to be getting its ducks in a row. Penn National Gaming and Kindred have struck a partnership that would see the latter’s brand Unibet enter Ohio by way of Penn National’s Hollywood Casino. For now, the deal means nothing until sports betting is officially legal in the state.

Land-based slots options

Online gambling options

There are no laws on the books for or against online gambling in Ohio. As such, there are no officially-regulated options for residents and visitors to the Buckeye State.

However, the state just received a commissioned study from Spectrum Gaming Group. Among other recommendations, it suggested the state legalize online gambling to maximize its tax revenue. So, it is possible that an Ohio iGaming bill could happen – particularly after legislators have a chance to see how online gambling performs in neighboring Pennsylvania.

Operator profile

Jack Entertainment

Jack Entertainment LLC is a Detroit-based proprietor of several casinos and racetracks throughout the United States. Though the majority of its holdings are in Ohio, it also has properties in Michigan, Kentucky, and Maryland. The company is a subsidiary of Quicken Loans, which means it is in the same family of companies as the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The CEO for the company is Matthew Cullen. He also serves as a principal in the Rock Ventures holding company, which is the chief administrator of all Quicken’s portfolio. However, the company’s more industry-specific expert is its chief operating officer, Mark Dunkeson. Prior to taking this role at Jack, Dunkeson served as a senior vice president for Station Casinos. They are a Las Vegas-based company that operates a chain of casinos targeting the locals market, rather than the tourist segment. This fits in well with the market of regional casinos like the Ohio offerings.

Like most Ohio casinos, Jack’s portfolio is facing increasing competitive pressure, and its revenues are suffering.

In fact, Jack Cleveland Casino’s revenues for December 2016 are down 32 percent from 2013. However, in that four-year span, three racinos have opened nearby, squeezing the market and making exceptional returns more difficult. The casino (and others in the company’s portfolio) are also no longer novelties for Ohioans. The initial furor – whatever it may have been – is gone.

Still, the Cleveland location reported revenue north of $200 million in 2016, so there is still significant cashflow. It remains to be seen how companies like Jack will navigate an increasingly congested market. It is reasonable to assume the consumer is in a good place to benefit from competition.

Ohio slot players and other gamblers, keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground. Amazing promotions could happen anytime.

State legal environment

Ohio Gambling Tax Laws

A “game of chance” is poker, craps, roulette, or other game where the participant pays money in hope of gain, the outcome of which is largely determined by chance.

Generally, games of chance may only be conducted at festivals of charitable organizations that last for no longer than a period of four (4) consecutive days and are held not more than twice a year or for a period of five (5) consecutive days not more than once a year. Craps, roulette, and slot machines are not permitted at festivals. The game of chance must be conducted on the premises owned by the charitable organization or leased from a qualifying organization.

Organizations wishing to conduct a game of chance must also meet the following additional requirements pursuant to Policy 201:

Ohio Online Gambling Laws

• the organization must have received a tax-exempt determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service stating that it is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
• the organization must qualify as a “charitable organization” as defined in the Ohio Revised Code; and,
• with the exception of a volunteer rescue service, firefighter’s organization, or veteran’s or fraternal organization, the organization must have been in continuous existence for a period of not less than two years.

Ohio Bingo Laws And Regulations

No license is required for a qualified charitable organization to conduct games of chance at festivals.