Ohio Casinos
Ohio has a lot for gamblers. Sports betting is available online, and each of the state’s four major cities — Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, and Dayton — has a retail casino. Online casinos, however, are absent from the Buckeye State.
Ohioans can instead enjoy numerous social and sweepstakes casinos online. What makes them different? These sites let you play for fun, purchase in-game currency if you wish, and play with premium currency to redeem cash prizes. The sites allow players 18 or older and feature slots, table games, and other casino-style titles.
We’ll update this page with any breaking news about Ohio online casinos as it becomes available. For now, you can peruse our top alternative casinos below.
Top alternatives for Ohio online casinos
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Are online casinos legal in Ohio?
Ohio law currently does not allow online casinos, but there are legal sweepstakes games that are similar. There is hope that Ohio will legalize online casinos once the state’s sports betting market matures.
That means, for now, Ohioans who wish to play casino games online only have a couple of choices.
One option is to travel to a neighboring state that has legal real money online casinos. Three states bordering Ohio have legal online gambling: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Hoosier State is also seriously considering adding regulated Indiana online casinos.
A second option for Ohioans is to play games at one of the online social and sweepstakes casinos in Ohio. These sites allow users to play online slots and video versions of table games that use virtual currencies rather than real money. In some cases, the sites also offer opportunities for players to redeem winnings for cash prizes.
Ohio online casino alternatives
Social and sweepstakes casinos offer many of the same online-casino-style games you will see at real money casinos, but with the added benefit that you can play them for free or for cash prizes.
In this section, we’ll break down what you can expect from some of the top sweeps sites in Ohio.
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- Best features: Quality games; excellent VIP program
- Payout speed: Gift cards pay out instantly; bank transfers take 1-2 days
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- Live chat customer support: A chatbot fields all messages, but you can reach a human if you’re persistent.
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LoneStar Casino–high rollin’ fun
LoneStar is brought to you by the people who created RealPrize. While it doesn’t have the library that RealPrize does (yet), you’ll find a variety of slot games from top providers, including some high-roller slot options. However, what you won’t find on this site is much Texas flair beyond the name.
- Best features: Daily challenges
- Payout Speed: Gift cards pay out instantly; Skrill transfers take 1-3 days
- Welcome bonus: 100,000 GC + 100,000 SC
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Pulsz Casino–great app experience
Pulsz is a fast-growing social casino with a big library of 200 slot titles from which to choose. You won’t find live-dealer options at Pulsz, and table games are a rarity as well.
It has Android and iOS apps that perform very well, but you’ll need to use the web-based app for sweepstakes play.
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Casino.click–a slick new option
If you like the clean layout of Stake.us, you’ll love Casino.click. While the library isn’t fully built out, you get a solid variety of slots, live dealer, and arcade-style games in a slick user interface. Add the fact that you have crypto banking options, and Casino.click has a lot to offer.
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Other social casinos and sweepstakes in Ohio
- Chanced Casino
- Crown Coins Social Casino
- DingDingDing Online Casino
- RealPrize Casino
- Jackpota Social Casino
- High Casino
- Horseplay Online Casino
- Punt Casino
The prospects for legal online casinos in Ohio
While it is doubtful Ohio will legalize online casinos in the immediate future, there always remains a possibility it could happen. In fact, the recent legalization of sports betting has perhaps brought the state a step closer to authorizing other types of gambling, including online casinos.
The state’s new sports betting law not only allows retail sportsbooks but also authorizes online sports wagering. The new law will allow as many as 25 online sportsbooks in Ohio. Now that sports betting is live, Ohioans will quickly grow accustomed to being able to gamble legally online, at least to bet on sports.
Ohio currently does allow a few forms of online gambling. The state permits advance deposit wagering on horse racing via online sites. Ohio also explicitly legalized daily fantasy sports in 2018, providing yet another legal way for Ohioans to gamble online.
As noted, three states that border Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, already have legal online gambling including online casinos. Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia all allow online sports betting. Ohio legislators with a mind toward legalizing online casinos are certainly watching those states closely to see what sort of revenue online gambling brings.
While the prospects for online casinos becoming legal in Ohio aren’t bright at present, those prospects could improve sooner than later.
Retail casinos in Ohio
In 2009, Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment to authorize land-based casino gambling.
The proposal passed with 52.9% of voters approving it. The following year, the Ohio legislature worked out the framework for those businesses. In May 2012, the Ohio Casino Control Commission approved the state’s first such property, the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland (now known as JACK Cleveland Casino). Over the following year, three more casinos followed.
All four of these properties reside in the state’s biggest cities:
In other states, restrictions compel casinos to operate on water or tribal lands. In Ohio, the state’s casinos are all in favorable locations. As a result, the casinos are well positioned not only to turn a profit but also to maximize their benefit to the state through taxes.
All four retail casinos in Ohio and all seven racinos have added retail sportsbooks to their spaces, offering yet another amenity for gamblers in Ohio to enjoy.
Ohio is also home to seven racetracks that host a casino on-site. These racinos generally have limits on the types of gambling they are allowed. Racinos showcase video lottery terminals, or VLTs, rather than traditional slot machines. Racinos report VLT revenue to the Ohio Lottery and as such are not overseen by the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC).
What games can be found at Ohio casinos?
The state’s four casinos each offer a wide menu of ways to play.
You can try your luck at slots, live poker, and table games with live dealers at those four properties. Examples of table games include baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette.
The state’s seven racinos also offer certain types of casino gambling as well. However, the state has restricted the racinos to slots (VLTs) and video versions of table games. The VLTs look, act, and sometimes sound just like a typical slot machine. You won’t find live dealer table games or poker rooms at the racinos but they do offer live and simulcast horse racing, with pari-mutuel wagering.
Sports betting is legal in Ohio as of Jan. 1, 2023, and each of the state’s four casinos have retail sportsbooks, branded by the following operators:
- Jack Cleveland Casino (betJACK)
- Hollywood Casino Toledo (ESPNBet, formerly Barstool Sportsbook)
- Hollywood Casino Columbus (ESPNBet, formerly Barstool Sportsbook)
- Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati (Hard Rock Sportsbook)
Do Ohio casinos have hotels?
While none of them have hotels yet, all four of Ohio’s casinos have partner hotels on their websites, some of which have shuttle services.
In addition, Hollywood Casino in Columbus recently announced it will be adding a hotel. Penn Entertainment estimated a $100 million cost for the project, which will include 180 rooms and new food and beverage options. The attached hotel should provide 100 permanent new jobs, along with hundreds of temporary construction jobs.
The ground-breaking ceremony was held in Nov. 2023 with construction expected to be complete in 2024.
Ohio casinos and racinos
As noted, Ohio is home to four retail casinos, spread out in four of the state’s most populous cities. No matter where in the state you live, you should be within a two-hour drive of at least one of the facilities. Also within a short drive of those major population centers are the seven racinos which as mentioned offer some casino games in addition to pari-mutuel wagering.
The four casino locations are:
- Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati: 1000 Broadway St, Cincinnati, 45202
- Hollywood Casino Columbus: 200 Georgesvilles Rd, Columbus, 43228
- Hollywood Casino Toledo: 1968 Miami St, Toledo, 43605
- JACK Casino Cleveland: 100 Public Sq, Cleveland, 44113
The seven racino locations are:
- Belterra Park: 6301 Kellogg Rd, Cincinnati 45230
- Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway: 777 Hollywood Blvd, Dayton, 45414
- Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course: 655 N Canfield Niles Rd, Youngstown, 44515
- JACK Thistledown Racino: 21505 Emery Rd, North Randall, 44128
- MGM Northfield Park: 10777 Northfield Rd, Northfield, 44067
- Miami Valley Gaming: 6000 OH-3, Lebanon, 45036
- Scioto Downs: 6000 S High St, Columbus, 43207
History of Ohio casinos
The story of casinos in Ohio is quite short compared to other states with the first properties opening in 2012.
Casino gambling was illegal in Ohio until 2009 when voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment to change that. That amendment authorized four land-based gambling properties in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. The measure also stated all of the state’s counties would share in the tax revenue.
In June 2010, then-Gov. Ted Strickland signed HB 519. That bill created all the regulatory frameworks for casino gaming in the state, including the creation of the Ohio Casino Control Commission. Casinos pay a tax rate of 33% on all gross gaming revenue. Of that total, 51% goes to the state’s 88 counties based on their populations. Another 34% gets spread out among the state’s public school districts equally.
On May 14, 2012, Horseshoe Casino Cleveland opened its doors to the public. The other three casinos opened over the following year with all of them also bearing the Horseshoe branding under the operation of Caesars Entertainment.
As those casinos were opening their doors, racetrack owners pushed for expanded gaming at their properties. Late in 2012, they got their wish from the state legislature. Throughout 2013, the seven tracks in the state converted into racinos.
Early in 2019, the branding at the four casinos changed. The properties in Cincinnati and Cleveland became JACK properties as part of a takeover by Rock Gaming, which named Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert as its chairman. Meanwhile, the facilities in Columbus and Toledo took on the Hollywood brand, still under Caesars’ watch. Within months, the JACK Casino in Cincinnati was purchased and rebranded as the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati.
As discussed above, whether the introduction of sports betting will lead to Ohio online casinos is a bit of conjecture, of course. However, once lawmakers and citizens see how much revenue sports betting brings in, other types of gambling could follow.
Ohio responsible gambling resources
Ohio is rich in resources supporting responsible gambling:
- Ohio Lottery Commission: Provides the Play Responsibly initiative, offering information, resources, and treatment programs as well as the Ohio Voluntary Exclusion Program.
- Ohio for Responsible Gambling: A collective effort promoting responsible gambling tips, warning sign information, and treatment options for affected individuals.
- Ohio Casino Control Commission: The regulatory body offering resources like the Voluntary Exclusion Program, mental health resources, treatment facilities information, a self-assessment questionnaire, and helpline contacts.
- Problem Gambling Network of Ohio: A nonprofit affiliated with the National Council on Problem Gambling, advocating for responsible gambling, offering treatment services, and hosting webinars and seminars for professionals in the field. Find more info here.
Final thoughts on Ohio online casinos
While Ohio hasn’t yet legalized online casinos, we think it won’t be long before the state jumps on that bandwagon. In the meantime, you’ve got options. You can play at sweeps sites that offer all your favorite Ohio online casino-style games today.
