Pros and cons of online casinos in Ohio?
Legalizing online casinos in Ohio will have far-reaching implications on the state’s online gaming landscape, but opponents argue that it comes with more drawbacks than benefits. Here are some of the pros and cons supporters and opponents cite to back their stance on the issue of legalizing online casinos in the Buckeye State:
Pros and Cons
- Higher tax revenue
- Better gaming revenue
- Safe, regulated market
- Irresponsibly gambling concerns
Quick facts on Ohio online casinos
- Traditional online casinos are currently unavailable in Ohio.
- The Ohio State Legislature is debating two separate bills to legalize online casinos.
- Players can use sweepstakes casinos as an alternative to online casinos for now.
- Leading sweepstakes casinos in Ohio include Stake.us, RealPrize, etc.
Are online casinos available in Ohio?
Lawmakers in Ohio have pushed to legalize online casinos in the Buckeye State, with both chambers of the state legislature actively debating bills that could see the state formally regulate them by the end of the year. As it stands, online casinos remain unavailable in Ohio because the state lacks the necessary infrastructure to license and regulate them.
Both chambers of the state’s legislature are currently considering bills to legalize online casinos in Ohio via House Bill 298 and Senate Bill 197. Although the Ohio General Assembly believes that formalizing the state’s online gaming landscape would be an excellent avenue for generating taxable revenue in the Buckeye State, the sitting Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, isn’t a believer.
DeWine has taken almost every opportunity he gets to speak out against online casinos, often describing the move to put a casino in everyone’s hands 24/7 as a cause of pain and suffering for Ohioans. He has also suggested he may veto a gaming bill if he receives one from either legislative house, which has dampened legislators’ willingness to push the bills to the end of the session.
With Governor DeWin’s term ending early next year, we’ll likely see a renewed push for online casinos in the state. Neighboring states have implemented successful online casino models, and with lawmakers’ focus on funneling online gaming proceeds to education, gaining support for the new bills should be easier.
Ohio isn’t the only US state without online casinos; you won’t find
online casinos in Oregon
or Iowa, for example, as there are currently 43 states where licensed online casinos are available in the United States.
When are online casinos coming to Ohio?
With Mike DeWine as governor, there’s no clear path to online casino legalization in Ohio, as he has never been discreet about his opposition to legalizing online casinos in the state. Faith groups have also written and submitted numerous petitions to the House, successfully stalling negotiations and discussions surrounding the legalization of online casinos in Ohio.
Realistically, experts predict mid-to-late 2027 as the earliest time online casinos could become legal in the state, provided DeWin’s successor holds a more liberal view on online casinos.
| Bill
|
Progress |
| HB 298 (iGaming legalization and regulation) |
Committee stage, stalled |
| SB 197 (iGaming and iLottery legalization and regulation) |
Committee stage, stalled |
Although there are no traditional online casinos in Ohio yet, players in the state can access casino-style games through sweepstakes casinos. Unlike traditional online casinos that accept cash deposits, display your balance in dollars, and accept direct wagers on slots and other casino-style games, sweepstakes casinos use Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, allowing you to play online casino-style games with virtual currencies.
How sweepstakes casinos work in Ohio
Sweepstakes casinos aren’t the same as traditional online casinos, although you’ll find plenty of similarities. For starters, most sweepstakes casinos offer welcome bonuses like traditional online casinos, albeit in Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, allowing you to start playing casino-style games before purchasing optional Gold Coin bundles.
Remember, sweepstakes casinos don’t offer real money casino-style games. Instead, you rely on Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, which you can collect through bonuses and optional Gold Coin bundle purchases.
Sweepstakes casinos aren’t unique to Ohio; there are sweepstakes
casinos in Iowa, Oregon, and Florida, too, for example. Unlike traditional online casinos, they don’t require formal licensing to operate. Most states, including Ohio, already have laws governing sweepstakes, and as long as the sweepstakes casino adheres to these laws and regulations, it can operate legitimately with no major hiccups.
The relatively lax barrier to entry gave way to many market players in the Ohio sweepstakes casino market, but not all are equally worth using. In the following section, we’ll show you the top factors to consider when choosing sweepstakes casinos in Ohio, at least until traditional online casinos are available in the Buckeye State.
How to choose a sweepstakes casino in Ohio
After testing numerous sweepstakes casinos in Ohio, we developed a system to help you choose a good site every time. It’s simple: just check for the following factors when considering a sweepstakes casino in the Buckeye State to make the right choice:
Not all sweepstakes casinos operate in Ohio. You want to confirm if the sweepstakes casino isn’t among the excluded states to ensure you can even play on the site in the first place. Most sweepstakes gaming sites include a list of all excluded states in the terms and conditions page, so looking up “Ohio” on the page should reliably reveal the state’s exclusion status.
Although you can’t collect a traditional
online casino bonus in Ohio, sweepstakes casinos offer an alternative that works differently. You usually get a welcome bonus immediately after signing up for a sweepstakes casino. When we tested McLuck in Ohio, for example, the sweepstakes casino welcomed us with 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins right off the bat, before we even purchased an optional Gold Coin bundle.
You should also look out for more than the signup bonus. Sweepstakes casinos usually offer even more offers, from daily login bonuses to VIP programs that reward dedicated players. We recommend getting the full picture of a site’s available promotions before choosing a sweepstakes casino in Ohio.
The available games at sweepstakes casinos vary; for example, Stake.us features over 3,000. Beyond mere numbers, we also recommend considering the site’s variety of offerings and the casino-style game providers that supply the games.
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for evaluating a sweepstakes casino’s game library, but you can start by checking for slots and table games, at least. You also want games with the latest bonus features from top providers, as well as a live casino section if you’re into live dealers.
Many sweepstakes casinos in Ohio will generally let you redeem eligible Sweeps Coins for real prizes when you meet specific requirements, often meeting a threshold of played-through Sweeps Coins. The sweepstakes rules page of any sweepstakes casino will often feature the prize redemption requirements and terms, so we recommend checking to ensure you’re not agreeing to unreasonable terms.
Be wary of anything beyond a 100 played-through Sweeps Coins as a requirement for redemptions, as some
new sweepstakes casinos
even let you redeem as few as 10 eligible Sweeps Coins for a prize. You also want to consider the available redemption methods; if you don’t see anything convenient, the site is probably not for you.
None of what we’ve said so far would matter if the site doesn’t offer a usable interface for claiming bonuses, playing games, and redeeming prizes when you’re eligible. Usability isn’t a problem with most sweepstakes casinos, but you’ll often come across one that behaves awkwardly on mobile or is generally a pain to use.
Consider testing the site on your devices to ensure you can play conveniently, and bonus points if there’s a mobile app for easy access. If a sweepstakes casino still isn’t responsive or mobile-compatible, steer clear.
Best sweepstakes casinos for Ohioans
Although there are still no legal online casinos in Ohio, numerous sweepstakes casinos operate legally in the state. However, which ones are worth your time? We checked them all out, and here are the top sweepstakes casinos we’ve picked out for you:
LoneStar Casino – Play at a leading sweepstakes casino in Ohio
LoneStar: Pros and Cons
- Straightforward signup process
- Good assortment of social games
- Login daily for free GC and SC
- Famous slots and new titles
LoneStar Casino is one of the best sweepstakes casino alternatives to traditional online casinos in Ohio, featuring over 500 casino-style games and a 100,000 Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins signup bonus for all new players. After signing up, the site offers several first-purchase offers, allowing you to collect Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins prizes to play your favorite Vegas-style games in Ohio.
During my review, I played Joker Hold & Win and 9K Kong in Vegas, and it was quickly clear why so many players choose to play on the site. Although the site could use a few more table games and live dealer titles, its current offerings don’t look bad at all.
RealPrize – 700+ Vegas-style games with a 100,000 GC bonus
Realprize: Pros & Cons
- Dedicated app
- Generous welcome bonus
- Excellent seven-tier VIP program
- Not available in all US states
Like LoneStar Casino, RealPrize is an excellent alternative to traditional online casinos in Ohio, offering new players a signup bonus of 100,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweeps Coins after account registration and verification. Its game library is a bit more expansive than LoneStar Casino’s, featuring 700 casino-style games, many from top providers like Playson and Relax Gaming.
I played the trending Tombstone R.I.P. and 5 Wild Player as part of my RealPrize review, before enjoying a few rounds of Oasis Poker and Texas Hold’em. Although I hoped to play a few live casino titles on RealPrize, it also doesn’t offer games in that category. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, we have other recommendations with a decent live dealer games collection.
SpinQuest – Enjoy table games and live dealer titles on this sweepstakes casino
SpinQuest: Pros & Cons
- Generous welcome bonus of 100,000 GC + 2 SC
- 1,000+ games from top studios like Hacksaw Gaming
- Mobile-friendly site
SpinQuest mixes its slots collection with a varied selection of table games and live dealers, making it one of our top-recommended sweepstakes casinos for players looking for a site with a live casino section. It doesn’t compromise on players’ bonuses either; you start with a welcome offer of 100,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweeps Coins on SpinQuest with no strings attached.
Thanks to the bonus, you can instantly start playing live dealer games like Crash Live and Live Baccarat, but I also found over 1,000 slots on the sweepstakes casino, spanning slots like Wanted Dead or a Wild and scratchcards like Coin Blox. If you’re after a sweepstakes casino with decent bonuses and a live casino section worth checking out, look no further than SpinQuest.
Stake.us – Play over 3,000 slots, table games, and live dealers in Ohio
Stake.us: Pros & Cons
- Daily bonuses
- Unique games
- Over 1,800 games
- Highest No-Deposit Bonus
- Not available to players in 17 US states
Stake.us is one of the biggest names in the American sweepstakes casino market, and for good reason. For starters, it offers a unique signup bonus that comes down to around 560,000 Gold Coins, 56 Stake Cash, and a 3.5% Rakeback when you sign up with our promo code TGTSOCIAL.
Playing at Stake.us is always a fun experience, as we found over 3,000 games on the sweepstakes casino, although not everything is available to players in Ohio. I played Blue Samurai and the site’s exclusive Mines game during my testing, and I also found numerous table games and live dealer titles if you’re into those. Beyond its numerous bonuses, Stake.us is unarguably one of Ohio’s best sweepstakes casinos for games.
McLuck – Collect 7,500 Gold Coins + 2.5 Sweepstakes Coins for 1,000+ games on McLuck
McLuck: Pros & Cons
- Large variety of slot games
- Daily login bonus
- User-friendly design
- Dedicated mobile app
- Not available in all states
McLuck is another one of the industry’s oldest players, offering an excellent collection of slots and live dealer titles. The site is available in most US states, and it features sweepstakes
casino apps in Ohio, offering an unrivaled experience for players on the go. New players receive 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins on McLuck, just enough to start testing its library of 1,000+ casino-style games.
Speaking of games, McLuck offers live dealer titles such as Auto Roulette, Gravity Blackjack, and Slingo XXXtreme, making it one of the most varied game libraries we’ve seen at any sweepstakes casino. For players in Ohio seeking a sweepstakes casino to play their favorite casino-style games, look no further than McLuck.
Conclusion – Online casinos remain unavailable in Ohio
We’re still a long way away from the first legal online casino in Ohio, which is hardly a surprise, as nobody expected the state to be an early online casino adopter. With increasing pressure from pro-gaming activists, it’s reasonable to expect increased activity from the Ohio State Legislature after Governor Mike DeWine’s administration ends early next year.
Numerous sweepstakes casinos remain available in Ohio, allowing casino-style games without the real money aspect of a typical online casino. As a beginner to sweepstakes casinos, we recommend Stake.us if you want an excellent all-rounder, or SpinQuest if you’re more into live dealer games. RealPrize has a few decent poker games, but specialty games like scratchcards are McLuck’s specialty (no pun intended). You can start playing today; just click any banner on this page, sign up, collect your signup bonus, and you’re in business.
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Ohio online casino FAQs
🃏 Is there an online casino in Ohio?
No, online casinos remain unavailable in Ohio, as both chambers of the state’s legislature are still unable to agree to make online casinos legal in the state. Experts point to Governor DeWin’s opposition as a critical factor, with some predicting online casinos could come to the state as early as next year.
📱 Can you use any casino apps in Ohio?
Ohioans can play casino-style games at any sweepstakes casino in the state, though they cannot make real money deposits. Sweepstakes casinos use Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, which are only available through bonuses and optional purchases, unlike traditional accounts, where you need to fund your account with real money to play.
🎰 How do sweepstakes casinos work in Ohio?
Sweepstakes casinos offer casino-style games like slots and table games, plus social live dealers, with a unique dual currency system that lets players play their favorite games with Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. You can purchase optional Gold Coin bundles, but that’s optional, as you can always play without one.
