The 11.3 million transactions over the first two days of legalized sports betting in Ohio were nearly two million more transactions than any other two-day period in New York (9.3m), Pennsylvania (8.2m), New Jersey (6.7m), and Michigan (5.8m).
Ohio’s New Year launch means over 44% of US citizens have access to legal and regulated sports betting. @GeoComply recorded 11.3m geolocation transactions on Sunday and Monday.https://t.co/JoCZXTDiQP
— GeoComply (@GeoComply) January 3, 2023
Ohio sports bettors registered 784,000 unique accounts at the 16 registered sports betting operators, and 234,000 transactions were recorded during the wee hours of January 1.
“We are thrilled to welcome another state into the regulated online sports betting sector.” said Lindsay Slader, GeoComply SVP of Compliance.
Cincinnati led the state with 1,898,000 transactions, mainly attributed to the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals Monday Night Football game. That contest was suspended due to the devastating 1st quarter cardiac arrest suffered by Bills cornerback Demar Hamlin.
The Buckeye State sports betting markets are expected to flourish — residents are expected to wager more than $8 Billion dollars this year alone on Ohio sports betting apps.
Governor DeWine Reacts to Massive Advertising
Governor Mike DeWine isn’t a fan of the sportsbook’s massive media campaigns and has warned those operators seeking to bend the rules.
“We believe that, at least on several occasions, they’ve already crossed the line. My message to them is that this will not be tolerated in the State of Ohio.” DeWine said.
The State of Ohio means business – DraftKings may be fined up to $350,000 for directly emailing advertisements to 2,500 underage Ohioans. Barstool Sportsbook in Ohio was issued a notice of violation for holding an event on the University of Toledo campus – advertising gambling is illegal on or near college campuses.
DeWine isn’t just unhappy with the amount of advertising and wants to crack down on enticements such as “free bets”.
”I also think they must be very careful, candidly, in regard to the claim of ‘free money and free gaming.’ When you look at the fine print or try to figure out what it really means, it doesn’t mean what certainly is being implied by the TV advertising.” The Governor added.
Cincinnati Bengals game was suspended, and wagers refunded
According to the NFL, the Week 17 contest between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, suspended on Monday night, won’t be resumed this week, and no changes will be made to the Week 18 schedule.
“The NFL continues to be in regular contact with the medical team caring for Damar Hamlin, and also the Bills and Bengals organizations and the NFL Players Association. After speaking with both teams and NFLPA leadership, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed the clubs today that the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week.” the league said in a statement.
Operators like Superbook avoided any controversy from the premature ending to the contest and refunded wagers according to their terms of service.
UPDATE pic.twitter.com/eGwIAaF2Wl
— SuperBook Sports (@SuperBookSports) January 3, 2023
