Ohio is gearing up to become the next state to offer legal and regulated online poker in the US, at least judging by the information we’ve seen floating around in recent weeks.
While it’s often hard to predict how likely any individual gaming bill is to pass all the necessary steps in any individual state, there has been a lot of positive movement towards Ohio online poker lately, indicating a high degree of interest in this topic.
Namely, there are currently two bill proposals geared at creating a fully regulated online gambling environment in the state. The first one is Senate Bill 197, sponsored by Nathan H. Manning. The second one, introduced only a week later, is House Bill 298, sponsored by Brian Stewart and Marilyn John.
Setting up the Foundations
Land-based casinos are already legal in Ohio as is online sports betting, so expanding regulation to encompass other forms of gambling, including online poker, seems like the next natural step.
Both bills are quite similar, with the main exception being that HB298 would not permit online lottery games or betting on horses via the internet.
HB298 proposes that only current casino and racino operators in the state could obtain a license, which would come at the initial cost of $50 million, with a yearly renewal fee of $10 million. The gaming tax would be set at 28%, which matches what Michigan operators have to pay.
The job of approving and issuing licenses and overseeing the operators would fall to the Ohio Casino Control Commission (CAC), which already oversees online betting. Operators would have to host all their servers inside the state borders, subject to testing and approval by the CAC.
If HB298 is approved in its current form, the Casino Control Commission will have to establish the official date for the launch of online gambling in the state no later than March 2026.
It is worth noting that the bill also includes provisions that outlaw sweepstakes poker and sweepstakes casinos, both of which currently are available in Ohio.
How Likely Is Ohio Online Poker?
Over the years, we’ve seen many online gambling bills come and go in different states without any real movement despite things looking promising. So, with that in mind, how likely is regulated online poker in Ohio in the foreseeable future?
At the moment, the Senate bill is awaiting necessary committee hearings, while the House bill is yet to be added to the legislative calendar. So, we are nowhere near the finish line when it comes to Ohio online poker.
However, there seems to be a lot of interest in finally regulating this area, which would introduce a lot of money into the state budget from licensing fees and taxes, anywhere between $400-$800 million on a yearly level.
The proposed law also includes provisions to appease brick-and-mortar casinos, prohibiting promotional credits for online play, but allowing online rewards that can be used at physical venues.
So, considering everything, there is some reason for cautious optimism. If things pan out, we could see another regulated market added to the US online poker landscape in the not-so-distant future.
