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Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but things were near perfect for the Ohio sports betting project in 2023. Things officially launched last January and as expected, the stats were through the roof. This was a long time coming for Ohio fans and they took every advantage they could of the laws being changed. With that said, how sensational were things to start? Well, Ohio’s first-year sports betting numbers were astronomical.
According to a report, the official 2023 numbers are in, with Ohio citizens recording a total of $7.65 billion worth of sports bets. Not only that, but the betting tax revenue for the state was huge, with $976 million being posted. We don’t have to tell you that this is a massive chunk of dough and that officials and lawmakers could not be happier with the results. We had a feeling that things would be electric in Ohio, but did anyone expect this?
What’s been so great to see is that online betting has been sky-high for the state. People have been racing to check the NFL betting odds over the past few months due to the popularity among the in-state teams. The Cleveland Browns were able to surprise a lot of people late in the season thanks to Joe Flacco, while the Cincinnati Bengals also had some fun wins thanks to Jake Browning.
Moving forward, there are going to be some changes for sports betting in the state, but the belief is that it will be beneficial for everyone involved. The first year for Ohio quite literally could not have gone any better. It took a bit of a while for things to get off the ground here, but the results tell you that the wait was worth it. Now, we’ll have to wait and see what happens in 2024, but the potential for another great year of betting is surely there.
And that, folks, is your 2024 #ProBowlGames pic.twitter.com/Ix9EkASud2
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) February 5, 2024
Super Bowl betting will be outstanding for Ohio
Although the Bengals and Browns won’t be in the big game this year, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Super Bowl betting will be outstanding for Ohio this year. At this point in 2023, people in Ohio were able to place bets on the Super Bowl for the first time in a legal fashion, which people were quite excited about. The numbers were fantastic. Last year, the Chiefs and Eagles met in the Super Bowl, which proved to be a great game.
Now this time around, Kansas City will be hoping to repeat as the champions, but the San Francisco 49ers will look to have a big say in things. It’s important to remember that people are always going to follow former Ohio State players in the NFL postseason. For San Francisco, they feature both Nick Bosa and Chase Young, two former standouts for the Buckeyes. Because of this, we can expect plenty of Super Bowl betting attention for the NFC side.
Our Buckeyes are Super Bowl ready ✔️
@youngchase907 x @nbsmallerbear
📷: @49ers pic.twitter.com/00kVUUxkq1— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 6, 2024
Both Bosa and Young are former first-round picks and they’re hoping to win the Super Bowl for the first time. If the 49ers are able to get the job done, people in Ohio, especially Columbus, are going to be quite happy for them. It won’t be easy, though, as Patrick Mahomes has been nothing short of incredible during the playoffs for KC. Things have been highlighted by the upset wins over the Bills and Ravens. Both those victories came on the road.
This Sunday, the 49ers are the favorites to come away with the win, but again, the Chiefs are going to look to make things quite difficult for them. Bosa and Young are two standouts on the defensive side of the field and they’ll look to make life difficult for Mahomes and Co. This feels like it’s going to be a pretty close game. It goes without saying, but billions of dollars will be wagered on this showdown across the planet.
College football betting was also spectacular in 2023 for Ohio
Speaking of Ohio State, it shouldn’t come as a surprise at all that college football betting was spectacular in 2023 for Ohio. The Buckeyes fell short of reaching the College Football Playoff, and people were furious Michigan won the National Championship Game, but things were tremendous from start to finish during the campaign.
Although Ryan Day and Co. didn’t live up to the hype, this was the first full season where people could bet on the big-time school. Come late April, OSU fans are going to be ready to place countless bets on the NFL Draft as well. Each and every year, several Ohio State players are selected by teams during the three-day event and this year will be no different.
After a great recruiting season too for the OSU staff, things are already looking great for the program for next season. Obviously, people will be ready to check the NCAAF betting odds as we get closer to Week 1. It could end up being a season to remember for Day and his coaches/players. It will be interesting to see how things play out.
