Big percentage of Ohio residents plan to bet
Staff Last updated: Sports betting is yet to go live in Ohio. Nonetheless, the lack of legal sportsbooks has not stopped Ohioans from placing wagers on their favorite teams. Currently, sports bettors rely on operators legalized in neighboring states or unregulated offshore sites.
Even so, when legal sports betting launches on Jan 1, 2023 Ohioans will have a plethora of options to place their wagers. With over 25 online sportsbooks and 40 retail sportsbooks expected, options will range from premier brands to newer entrants in the market.
Over the years, interest in sports wagering has been growing. As the launch of legal sportsbooks nears, more Ohioans plan to bet. In a recent survey of 620 Ohio residents conducted by PlayOhio, over 46% plan to bet when Ohio sports betting launches.
Other findings indicate that;
- Over 90% agree with the need for legal sportsbooks in the state.
- More than half of the respondents are planning to register on a new sportsbook app when sports betting becomes legal in the state.
Apart from this, the survey also shed light on the most preferred sportsbooks and how much interest the launch of legal platforms will draw.
Ohio sports bettors prefer legal online sites
According to a survey done by the American Gaming Association, 52% of sports bettors in the country bet on offshore sites. This is because they lack access to legal sportsbooks in their states. Despite this, Ohioans prefer betting on legal betting sites. More than 90% of the survey respondents stated that they are in favor of legal sports betting. 65% said that using legal sites is ‘very important.’
In addition, most of the survey respondents plan to use online sportsbooks. 80% plan to use online betting sites as compared to 25.8% who prefer lottery kiosks and 20.8% who said they would bet on retail sportsbooks.
Nearly 50% plan to bet 1-5 times per week
When it comes to betting frequency, 46.6% of the respondents mentioned that they plan to bet 1-5 times week. Compared to the research done by the American Gaming Association, 42% of sports bettors in country place wagers a few days per week.
Besides, 10% of respondents plan to wager daily and 2.4% plan to do so multiple days a week. 41% plan to bet less than once a week.
More than 55% will sign up on an Ohio sportsbook app
When regulated sports betting is launched in Ohio, about 55.7% of the respondents plan to sign-up with a sportsbook app. Only 14.8% don’t have any plans to sign-up while about 29% are still not decided.
Concerning the most preferred sportsbooks, it seems that the latest marketing strategies by top brands in the country have borne fruits. Bettors have chosen the sportsbook they plan to use. According to the findings, DraftKings takes the lead at 58.4%, followed by FanDuel (52.3%), BetMGM Ohio (36.3%), and finally Caesars at 28.6%. Other expected operators are Barstool (20.0%) and PointsBet at 14.5%.
Apart from marketing, DraftKings and FanDuel Ohio top the list because they already have a head start with daily fantasy sports. Nearly 25% of the respondents have already used the DraftKings app while 17% have used the FanDuel app for DFS.
When asked which sportsbook operate legally in the U.S., the responses were as follows;
- DraftKings( 36.8%)
- FanDuel(27.1%)
- BetMGM(22.9%)
- Caesars(14.8%)
- Barstool (3.7%)
- FoxBet (2.4%)
Ohioans look forward to the 2023 NFL season
Football is king when it comes to sports betting. As indicated by the 30% football handle in the country, it’s clear that Americans love the sport. The NFL will be the most wagered upon event when sports betting goes live in Ohio. According to the survey respondents, 75% of them plan to wager on the NFL, while 51.9% plan to place bets on their favorite college teams.
Other sporting events that were of interest to Ohioans include the NBA(47.4%), MLB (32.9%) followed by the NHL (18.7%), soccer (14.4%), and golf (14.2%) and finally tennis at 7.9%.
Regarding which NFL franchise the residents are most interested in, the Cleveland Browns (53.9%) topped the Cincinnati Bengals (46.1%).
The Latest update on Ohio sports betting
The Ohio Casino Control Commission has been in a flurry of activities as more applications are submitted. Already, the first application for licenses closed on July 15, with several online and retail operators successfully submitting their applications. Operators are allowed to continue sending applications, but they won’t be allowed to launch on Ohio’s universal sports betting some Jan. 1. They will have to wait.
A second window will open through Aug 15, allowing businesses that want to host a sports betting kiosk to submit applications.
As of now, the commission has already pre-approved 920 businesses to host a betting kiosk. Businesses in the state are expected to add bars, bowling alleys, hotels, golf courses, convenient stores, and restaurants, among others.
