Chris Boline
The long wait for people wanting Ohio sports betting to become legal is almost over. There’s a bit of good news and bad news here, though. That’s because the Ohio sports betting date officially set for Jan. 1, 2023 and it can’t come any sooner for people all over the state. However, this doesn’t mean that everything is all bells and whistles.
That’s because people had been holding out some hope that the legalization of sports betting would arrive either later this summer or by the fall months. Regardless of that, people are still over the moon with the news that sports betting will definitely arrive and there will be no loops to get in the way here. That’s a big win not only for sports fans, but the state too.
Now, people are going to be able to check the best rated sportsbooks for their favorite sports teams and make wagers. This is something that folks have been hoping for, and now their wish will come true in less than seven months. While people will still need to wait a little longer, there’s no more uncertainty as to whether or not this will get locked down or not.
Come Jan. 1, you better believe that people will be rushing to make their bets. People will of course be checking out the NFL betting odds, NBA odds, MLB odds and more to get their wagers in. This is expected to bring in millions and millions of dollars overall. The first couple of months should be epic for Ohio, and things are only going to get bigger and better down the road.
Ohio announces that sports betting in the state will begin on Jan. 1, 2023.
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) June 1, 2022
No betting in the fall isn’t what Ohio fans were hoping for
One thing to remember, though, is that no betting in the fall isn’t what Ohio fans were hoping for in this case. According to a report, there were talks about sports betting getting launched sometime in September, just in time for the regular season in the NFL to start. This would have been massive overall, but things aren’t going to end up going down in the direction.
This of course would have been huge for betting, as betting during football season is superior to the other times of the year. For people in Ohio, they’re of course always going to keep close attention to the Cincinnati Bengals, who surprisingly made it to the Super Bowl last season. There are high expectations for the team again this year.
That will always be the case when you have Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and others in the mix of the team. For fans, they would have loved to bet on the team for Week 1 of the season. Countless bets would have been made on the Bengals in the fall. Now, though, people are simply going to have to wait until Jan. 1 to get their bets on the Bengals in.
This isn’t a total loss, though, as Jan. 1 will still be in the NFL season. After that, people will obviously shift their attention to the NFL postseason and then the Super Bowl. So, despite no bets being able to be made for Week 1 and the early part of the campaign, things will go into overdrive as soon as Jan. 1 arrives. This will be something to keep an eye on for sure.
Ohio laid out groundwork to be one of the most lenient & large-operation sports betting states in the country with 25 online sportsbook licenses. So why the wait!?
Regulators explained the Jan 1 start date for Ohio sports betting to us:
(via @roadtocfb)https://t.co/tX6XbJi1pe pic.twitter.com/wRa068hs4W
— TheLines (@TheLinesUS) June 5, 2022
Bengals have strong Super Bowl odds
What’s exciting for people in Ohio too is that the Bengals have strong Super Bowl odds this season. The team made it to the big game last year, but they unfortunately suffered a close loss to the Los Angeles Rams. This was tough to see, but Burrow and Co. are motivated to try and get back to the big game this year, but this time win it. Will they be able to get that job done?
Things aren’t going to be easy for them, as there are several other teams out there who are ready to make a monster splash. The Buffalo Bills hold the top AFC odds, while the Kansas City Chiefs are up there too. Cincy was able to stun KC in the AFC Championship Game last year, and Patrick Mahomes is motivated to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
With all of that said, the Bengals figure to make plenty of noise this season and their fans can’t wait for the season to get there. They figure to make a run for the AFC North title and then make noise in the playoffs too. Only time will tell if Burrow and Co. will be able to rise to the occasion and get that job done this season.
Things will be made even more intriguing when betting becomes an option for fans to take advantage of. Jan. 1 will be an exciting time for so many different people. Again, the hope was that it’d get here in the fall, but the wait will be worth it for the bettors. Things are moving in the right direction here and it’s great to see.
