Ohio and pro football have a relationship that dates back more than a century, long before Ohio sports betting became a reality. Thatās why the Hall of Fame is located in Canton. So, it shouldnāt come as a shock that the Buckeye State ā or maybe we should say the Bengals and Browns State ā loves to bet on the NFL.
Theyāre not the only ones, either. Earlier this week, an American Gaming Association study indicated bettors across the US will wager $35 billion on NFL regular season games using legal, licensed operators.
BetOhio.com has taken the AGAās projection and taken it a step further to break that total down on a state-by-state level. We did that by taking the handle data reported by 33 states from April to June and identifying each stateās market share. We then multiplied that percentage by $35 billion to come up with the number.
Just how many folks are doing their research ahead of Browns vs Cowboys this Sunday? Read on to find out.
State | Estimated Handle On NFL Regular Season Games |
New York | $5.98 billion |
Illinois | $3.27 billion |
New Jersey | $2.9 billion |
Ohio | $2 billion |
Pennsylvania | $1.88 billion |
Arizona | $1.85 billion |
North Carolina | $1.73 billion |
Nevada | $1.73 billion |
Massachusetts | $1.66 billion |
Virginia | $1.64 billion |
The seventh-largest state in the nation by population is the fifth most populous among legal sports betting states. Add in the fact there are two NFL teams in the state, and it becomes easy to understand why we expect Ohio sports betting operators to take $2 billion in wagers over the next 18 weeks.
It also helps that both teams are expected to contend for the playoffs this season.
The Cincinnati Bengals look to rebound from a disappointing 2023 and hope franchise quarterback Joe Burrow is healthy after suffering a wrist injury that ended his season early last year. Fanatics Sportsbook Ohio gives the Bengals odds of -275 to win 10 or more games this season. That equates to an implied probability of 73.3%.
Meanwhile, up in Cleveland, the Dawg Pound is eager to see their Browns make the postseason in consecutive seasons for the first time since the Bernie Kosar era nearly 40 years ago. There are questions about whether quarterback Deshaun Watson can lead the team to postseason glory, but it wonāt be for a lack of playmakers like 1,000-yard wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Bookmark our Browns Super Bowl Odds page here for updates all season.
Ohioans have been able to wager on their favorite teams and players since New Yearās Day 2023, and the data from the stateās Casino Control Commission shows it has been a tremendous financial success for the state.
From January 2023 to this past July, Ohio sports betting operators, both online and retail, have taken $12.26 billion in wagers.Ohio betting apps are overwhelmingly the way bettors want to get in on the action, with $11.91 billion handled online. Itās also been lucrative for operators, as they have collected $1.43 billion since the first apps launched.
Two years ago, as lawmakers were debating the bill that ultimately brought sports betting to Ohio, proponents said the state could get up to $24 million in revenue. The first month alone generated more than $20 million for the state. Through July, Ohio has received $231.8 million from the tax. One reason why the state has far surpassed proponentsā expectations is that lawmakers doubled the tax rate to 20% in July 2023.
USA Today photo by Katie Stratman.
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
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