As Legal Sports Betting in Ohio Nears, Here’s What to Know

Sports betting becomes legal in Ohio on New Year's Day. Kiosks will be available in 46 bars and restaurants in Mahoning County, 22 in Trumbull and 8 in Columbiana. The first sportsbook parlor will open at Austintown Race Course and Casino. Phantom Fireworks will operate a sportsbooks at Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown. The state casino control commission is considering a license for Phantom. House Bill 22 delineates the type of state license required for each type. Online betting requires a Type A license, brick-and-mortar sports books require Type B, and kiosks in bars require type C.

Betting kiosks began arriving at bars last week. Steel Valley Brew Works received two kiosk on Wednesday, Dec. 14. The bar is installing a 160-inch projection screen for games and two 85-inches monitors that scroll betting odds. Josh Langenheim, owner of Steel valley, already has electronic Keno games.

Hollywood Gaming's Austintown casino and racetrack will be ready to take bets at the crack of midnight January 1st. The full extent of the casino's makeover will not be unveiled until later that month. It will have a sports bar atmosphere and be managed by Barstool Sports. BarStool recently purchased the Austinown racino. Brogan expects to see a lot more of a younger demographic when the Bar stool sports betting area opens in January. He expects it to attract people aged 21-44.

The Barstool Sports and Skybox restaurant-bar area will make the racino a more viable destination for groups of people with differing tastes. The minimum betting age for horse racing is 18 and it's 21 for sports betting. Skyboxes will keep its core menu items, but will add a few items. The existing simulcast horse-racing theater will remain as is. A row of teller windows that will accept both horse and sports bets is being constructed just beyond Sky boxes.

Ohio law caps anonymous wagers at $1,000 per bet at sportsbooks such as Hollywood Gaming racino and online. For kiosk betting, the Ohio Lottery has set a $700 per week wager limit for each person and no single wagering can exceed $700. Lotteries are permitted to pay prizes up to the reportable tax threshold. For traditional lottery products, retailers will cash prizes of up $599. The proprietors can set an adjusted prize payment level for cash payouts. Prizes above the amount a retailer is able or willing to paid can be mailed directly to a proprietor for claiming.

Kiosk bettors can pick up their winnings at the host location or an affiliated host. They can also claim the prize at an Ohio Lottery office or on the Ohio lottery mobile cashing app.