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Things quite honestly could not be going better when it comes to Ohio sports betting news. When things were launched on Jan. 1, there were high expectations, but did anyone think that the project would be this successful this early? Plenty of lawmakers and officials had high hopes, but even their biggest dreams probably didn’t match what has happened. That’s because Ohio is expected to smash sports betting projections for 2023.
That’s right – smash them. Late last year, betting experts and analysts projected that people in Ohio would bet around $3 billion worth for the entire year. Well, the latest numbers for the first quarter of the year have come in, with Ohio sports fans betting right around a total of $2.5 billion on sporting events in January, February and March. That is truly unreal and it has a lot of people excited.
We could see the projected $3 billion be topped by the end of May or by mid-June. This just goes to show how great things have been for Ohio, as they were really able to hit the ground running. What’s been so solid about the launch is that people are not only placing bets at in-person sportsbooks, but they’re also not wasting any time in getting in their mobile bets as well. This was expected, but just not to this degree.
What’s also great to see here for Ohio is that the total revenue for the state during the first quarter was nearly $400 million. That’s a huge amount of money, which can be used to help out so many different resources. All in all, sports betting in Ohio has flourished since Jan. 1 and there are no signs of things slowing down. Bets are high right now for the NBA playoffs and baseball season, but you can fully expect things to take off in the fall too.
Top 10 U.S. states by sports betting $$ wagered, March 2023 (of states reporting so far):
1. New York: $1.79B
2. Illinois: $1.07B
3. New Jersey: $1.03B
4. Nevada: $830.5M
5. Ohio: $738.6M
6. PA: $723.5M
7. Massachusetts: $568M
8. Virginia: $511.6M
9. CO: $494.4M
10. IN: $433M— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) May 15, 2023
A full football betting season will be huge for Ohio
It goes without saying, but a full football betting season will be huge for Ohio. When it comes to the NFL betting odds, people are going to have a ton of interest in both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. With the Browns, they’re entering the first full season of Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback and they’re hoping the former Pro Bowler can get back to a top level.
Meanwhile with the Bengals, Joe Burrow and Co. nearly stunned the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason last year at Arrowhead, but they fell just short. A lot of people think this could be another year where Cincy wins the AFC and gets back to the Super Bowl. They’ve got strong odds to win the AFC, but the Chiefs remain the favorites, while the Buffalo Bills are in the mix too.
As for the NCAAF betting odds, sports fans are fired up to see what the Ohio State Buckeyes can get done this year. Although the team lost both quarterback CJ Stroud and star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba to the NFL, the Buckeyes are still loaded with a bunch of talent and they’ll be 100 percent in the College Football Playoff mix. At the top of the list, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is considered one of the most electric players in the country.
Harrison will be headed to the NFL next offseason, but first, he’s going to be putting on a show for the Buckeyes in ’23. While the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide, plus Michigan, are considered among the favorites to push for a title this year, Ohio State can’t be forgotten about. As soon as Week 1 arrives, countless people in Ohio will be ready to place bets on them, that’s for sure.
Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins #Bengals pic.twitter.com/EHyRla9mAE
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) May 30, 2023
NBA Finals bets are flying high in Ohio as well
Another thing to keep in mind is that NBA Finals bets are flying high in Ohio as well. This shouldn’t come as a major surprise, as the Miami Heat just took down the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to set up a huge Finals showdown with the Denver Nuggets. Denver is the favorite to win the title, but no one should be sleeping on Miami right now. They’ve been brilliant.
The Heat, a play-in team, started things off by taking down the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Then, they beat the New York Knicks and followed that up by surviving against Boston. The Celtics came all the way back from down 0-3 to force a Game 7, but Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin were fantastic on Monday night to secure the victory. As for the Nuggets, they’re well-rested after having no issues against the Lakers.
The betting action for the Finals won’t be slowing down in Ohio anytime soon. Matter of fact, the bets are going to be pouring in all over the globe. This should be a fantastic series, and a lot of hoops fans in Ohio are ready to see this one potentially go seven games. The longer the series lasts, the better it will be for Ohio as a whole due to an increased amount of wagers.
