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When Ohio Sports betting was launched in January, the numbers were unreal to start the new project. The news was nothing but positive. However, there was expected to be a drop in things thanks to the great start. We’ve seen that in recent months, which has been a bit of a disappointment for lawmakers and officials. With that said, Ohio sports betting is hoping to recover from a rough summer that was just recorded.
According to a report, the Ohio Casino Control Commission reported a total sports betting handle of $319 million for July. While this would be a tremendous number for other states, this was the third consecutive month where Ohio saw a decline in its betting handle. In the summer months, baseball is the top betting sport for fans to enjoy, but it didn’t live up to the hype that people thought it would.
This is also a bit of a surprise, as Ohio features the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians. These are two popular teams, who figured to have a ton of betting attention as well. However, this simply wasn’t the case. There’s hope that with the MLB postseason right around the corner, people won’t waste time in checking the MLB betting odds and putting some of their money on the table. However, that remains to be seen.
While the recent numbers for Ohio have been a bit alarming, there’s still plenty of time to close out the year on a high note. With so many great pro teams in the state, you just know that the handle should bounce back in the coming months. Obviously, the return of the football season has betting experts beyond optimistic that Ohio will get back on track. Matter of fact, we expect September to be a hot month.
Yesterday, José passed Larry Doby to move into a tie for 5th in franchise history in home runs.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/elLXLoRHn6
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 18, 2023
Cincinnati Bengals will be key for an Ohio sports betting bounce back
Looking ahead to this NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals will be key for an Ohio sports betting bounce back. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, this team is shockingly 0-2 on the year. In Week 1, the Bengals suffered a tough loss to the Cleveland Browns. Then in Week 2, the Bengals were hoping to make a statement by taking down the Baltimore Ravens. That wasn’t the case, with Lamar Jackson and Co. getting the job done.
Even with the Bengals suffering back-to-back losses, there have been plenty of bets in the state on Cincy. It’s not just the Bengals that people in the state are betting on. The Cleveland Browns have plenty of optimism this campaign, as they indeed upset the Bengals to start the new season. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is hoping to live up to the hype this season, as is star receiver Amari Cooper.
What a way to start his career 👏
Radio Call of The Game | Guinness pic.twitter.com/lOkzA85WQr
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 18, 2023
With the NFL as a whole, there’s so much intrigue this year. The Kansas City Chiefs hold the top Super Bowl betting odds, but they showed everyone that they’re far from perfect in Week 1. Kansas City opened the year with a shocking loss at home to the Detroit Lions. Luckily for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the AFC West powerhouse was able to bounce back in a big way in Week 2 by topping the Jaguars.
As for the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys have emerged as serious contenders. Pass-rusher Micah Parsons continues to look like one of the best players in the league, while the offense is humming. Although people in Ohio don’t have ties to the Cowboys, this is still America’s Team and people all over the country have high interest in them. Because of that, we’d expect people in Ohio to keep on paying close attention on the NFC East side.
Ohio has still topped the massive expectations for 2023
While the numbers have dropped this summer, don’t forget that Ohio has still topped the massive expectations for 2023. With this being the first year of legal sports betting for Ohio, the projections were modest from the start. However, the first six months or so were groundbreaking for the state. No one knew just how powerful Ohio sports betting could be, but we’ve seen some earth-shattering figures.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, we fully expect things to be high thanks to the NFL being back. Not only that, but college football is also huge for Ohio, especially with the Ohio State Buckeyes hoping to make a ton of noise in the Big Ten. When Ohio State and Michigan face off in November, we believe that loads of bets will be placed. This will be great to see for the oddsmakers.
Soon enough, we will get the official numbers for September and then once October rolls around, we can only imagine that positive sports betting updates will be on the way for Ohio. Just because the summer months were a bit rough, that doesn’t mean that the 2023 year won’t end in style for sports bettors. Things will end on a high note, no question. The return of the NFL and NCAA football will surely play a big role in that.
