Chris Boline
History was made in the midwest this month to kickoff the new year. That’s right, Ohio sports betting arrived and fans are ecstatic. How could they not be? Indeed, on Jan. 1, legal wagers officially launched at midnight and people couldn’t wait to get their bets in. This is not a surprise at all, as people have been waiting for years for this moment to arrive. Now, the Ohio sports betting potential is massive for the state.
According to a report, there was a high number of sports wagers on Jan. 1, which really was expected. People had been checking the NFL betting odds for a while, plus the NCAAF betting odds too with the College Football Playoff here. Unfortunately for people in Ohio, hearts were broken across the state with Ohio State losing in the CFP semifinals to Georgia. It was a close game, but the Bulldogs got the job done.
Now, people are going to bet on the title game between Georgia and TCU. Georgia will be the massive favorite. While there will be plenty of wagers made on that game, the numbers would have been much higher had the Buckeyes been able to record the upset over UGA. Despite that, you can still expect plenty of college bets to be made with March Madness betting right around the corner as well.
All in all, the opening days of sports betting in Ohio has shown promising returns and it has even led to people traveling to the state to welcome in the new era of legal wagers. This is only going to become more and more consistent in the future. Looking ahead, this feels like it’s going to be a massive success all across the board. The first few months of wagers will really give us an idea of how great things can be, but there’s surely a lot of optimism.
Sports betting is now legal in Ohio – and local businesses are betting on a business BOOST! Martino’s on Vine is accepting bets behind the bar & will soon have a kiosk up and running. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/KIYBo4qNaH
— Madeline Ottilie (@OttilieMadeline) January 2, 2023
NFL betting is going to be huge in Ohio over the next month
It goes without saying, but NFL betting is going to be huge in Ohio over the next month. With the postseason almost here, there’s going to be plenty of eyes on the Super Bowl betting odds. For people in Ohio, they’re always going to be following the Cincinnati Bengals closely. With the Bengals, they of course won the AFC Championship Game last year and almost won the Super Bowl – they lost to the LA Rams.
Now, Joe Burrow is hoping to get this team back to the big game, but they have a bit of an uphill climb to do so. Right now, both the Bills and Chiefs feel like the top dogs in the AFC, but the Bengals are never going to be a team that people can take lightly. Burrow is once again playing at a high level and the good news for him is that Ja’Marr Chase is back to full health and he’s looking as dangerous as ever.
In order for the Bengals to make serious noise once the postseason does arrive, they’ll need to record an upset or two along the way. It’d be interesting to see if they meet either the Chiefs or Bills at some point in the coming weeks. Burrow will be an underdog for this one, but you just never know what might happen. Burrow is known for stepping up with the pressure on the line.
In terms of betting, people have high hopes for Cincinnati, but only time will tell if they end up pulling off a stunner or two. The futures bets for the Bengals are of course going to be high in Ohio – that’s not going to change. Look for more and more bets to keep coming in for Burrow. There’s strong belief in him and this offense. The defense is also quite capable as well. We’ll see what ends up happening for the Bengals, but we sure are excited to see what ends up going down.
Happy New Year – Who Dey 😏✌️ pic.twitter.com/fZdoN251c1
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 1, 2023
NBA betting will also be big in Ohio for people
While a ton of the focus is on NFL wagers for the state, don’t forget that NBA betting will also be big in Ohio for people. Obviously, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to draw plenty of attention. However, you must remember too that people have a ton of love and respect for LeBron James, an Ohio native. James will never be forgotten in the area for how fantastic play in high school and in the NBA with the Cavs. He’s from Akron, Ohio.
Despite now being with the Los Angeles Lakers, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t following his career closely. Now that he’s in his late 30s, James is reaching the end of his career sooner than later. With this, the chances to bet on him won’t be here forever, which is something people all over Ohio have in mind. They’re going to constantly be checking the NBA odds for the Lakers and prop bets for James too. He’s a hero across the state, which will lead to countless wagers on him and his team.
