Take a Stand for Early Ohio Sports Betting – Sign Our Petition!
- Sign our petition to get Ohio online sports betting live in time for the biggest game of the year (must be 21+)
- The 2022 Peach Bowl featuring the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Georgia Bulldogs kicks off at 8pm ET
- Ohio sports betting launches four hours later at 12:01am ET, resulting in hundreds of thousands in lost tax revenue
The vast majority of sports fans in the Buckeye State already know that Ohio online sports betting goes live just after the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2023—but what if we told you there might be a way to get it before then?
We’re talking about an early launch just in time for this year’s Peach Bowl matchup on Dec. 31 at 8pm ET between the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes. Is it a tall order? Sure, but we here at Sports Betting Dime aren’t going down without a fight for the good people of Ohio to get Peach Bowl betting access.
Note: We are currently working hard to get our petition live again. Thank you for your patience.
The plan is simple. We’ve put together a petition on change.org in an attempt to appeal the midnight launch of Ohio online sports betting so that prospective bettors in the state can place wagers on the Peach Bowl. In order to accomplish this goal, however, we need your help to get as many signatures on our early Ohio online sports betting petition as possible.
Not convinced? Don’t worry, we came prepared. There’s a compelling case to be made for both the fans and the state in regards to why Ohio online sports betting should launch a few hours earlier than scheduled. Let’s get into it.
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Get Ohio Sports Betting Online in Time for the Peach Bowl
The 2022 Peach Bowl game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Georgia Bulldogs kicks off at 8pm ET on Dec. 31, with wagering set to go live at 12:01am ET. Ohio sports bettors could be missing out on betting the biggest game of the year by just four hours.
That’s no exaggeration either. The Buckeyes have an estimated 11.26 million fans and are the most popular college football team in the nation. For context, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Texas Longhorns each have 8.21 million and 7.82 million fans in their respective bases. The Buckeyes are also uniquely positioned as a college team that brings the whole state together with fans that live across Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and more.
With roughly 70% of Ohio’s population over the age of 21, there’s plenty of prospective bettors eager to place wagers on the Peach Bowl. And, if you do happen to be one of those 21+ Ohioans, make sure to hit this link to our petition so you can help push the state into changing the start time of online sports betting in Ohio.
The betting lines are favorable right now for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The latest NCAA college football odds have the Buckeyes as 6.5-point underdogs, and while 7 points can be a significant number to cross through against the spread in NCAAF betting, this 6.5-point spread should encourage even more betting if Ohio sports betting were to launch early.
You can sign our petition if you’re 21 or older and want to wager on one of the biggest games of the year in Ohio.
Ohio Missing Out on Hundreds of Thousands in Tax Revenue
Missing out on legal sports betting for the Ohio State-Georgia game could cost the state hundreds of thousands in tax revenue.
Just take a look at the table below to get a clearer picture of how Ohio stacks up to other legal sports betting states. These figures are collected from the first month of legal sports betting in each state, and with online sports betting getting bigger every year, it’s safe to say these figures will give us a projection on the lower side for Ohio.
We’ll use these first-month examples and the college football betting handle in Colorado from December 2021 to get a clearer picture of how much tax revenue the state could be missing out on.
| State (Month) | Population | First Month Betting Handle | Sportsbook Revenue | State Tax Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (Jan. 2022) | 19,835,913 | $1,686,263,898 | $123,130,126 | $63,209,984 (7.3% hold) |
| Pennsylvania (Sept. 2020) | 12,964,056 | $462,787,392 | $18,277,566 | $2,257,158 (3.9% hold) |
| Illinois (Sept. 2020) | 12,671,469 | $305,223,938 | $6,837,289 | $1,107,906 (2.2% hold) |
| Ohio (Jan. 2023) | 11,780,017 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Does Ohio have the smallest population among the other states in the table above? Yes. But what they also have is the highest hold rate compared to those states. With a 10% state tax, Ohio’s tax revenue from sports betting could rival these states and that means more money for the Buckeye State.
Let’s do a quick comparison with a state like Colorado. With nearly half the population of Ohio, Colorado saw nearly $25 million in total wagers on NCAAF alone through December 2021. While they had many games to bet on during that time, the Peach Bowl is one massive game that Ohioans will want to bet on.
It’s safe to assume Ohio’s total betting handle on the Peach Bowl alone could be double or more than Colorado in December 2021, at anywhere between $50 million and $75 million on the Peach Bowl. That could potentially lead to $5 million in gross gaming revenue (on the low end) and 10% of $5 million would be $500,000 in state tax revenue.
Realistically, a game as big as the Peach Bowl would likely produce $75 million in betting handle and approximately $7.5 million in sportsbook revenue as mentioned above. That means the state of Ohio could be leaving somewhere between $500,000 and $750,000 in state tax revenue from the Peach Bowl on the table by launching at 12:01am ET on Jan. 1.
If they allowed for the launch just nine hours ahead, for example, that revenue made from the Peach Bowl would go to the state and they could invest in Ohio’s Sports Gaming Revenue Fund which helps support education, youth sports programs, and people with gambling problems.
Tax revenue from legal sports betting is going to be a massive boon to Ohio’s economy, and after already missing out on most of the NFL season and huge events like the World Cup, the state would be wise to get wagering online in time for this year’s Peach Bowl.
Sign Our Petition and Let’s Get Ohio Sports Betting Live Early
As you can plainly see, there are plenty of legitimate reasons why Ohio online sports betting should launch early. And the fact that we’re talking about a difference of mere hours really highlights what the people and the state are ultimately missing out on.
While there’s still some great early Ohio sportsbook promos to choose from before launch, Buckeye State sports fans can help make early betting for the Peach Bowl a reality by signing our petition if they’re 21 or older.
It’s free and only takes a minute to complete. Let’s help change the course of Ohio online sports betting together for the good of the people.
A sports fanatic and strategic wordsmith, Mitchell has been writing gaming content for over seven years. As sports betting emerges in markets across the globe, he’s ready to journey alongside those who haven’t wagered before with informative articles and comprehensive how-to guides.
