Online Casinos in Ohio
Ohio has a well-developed and regulated land-based gambling industry. The state doesn’t have any tribal casinos, but players are free to play slots and table games at the local commercial casinos, wager on horse racing events and join the state-run lottery. As you’d expect, Ohio protects the interests of the local businesses by targeting illegal gambling operators, who face severe punishment for breaking the existing regulations.
Ohio Gambling Laws
As briefly touched on above, the gambling laws in Ohio are quite strict even for US standards. Running an illegal gambling business is punished by a massive fine and a potential prison term. Individual players can also be fined for taking part in illegal gambling activities, however the authorities usually don’t go after casual gamblers.
On a brighter note, Ohio has no regulations pertaining specifically to online gambling. However, the current law states that all forms of gambling are considered illegal unless licensed and regulated by the state, which means that the state officials may argue that playing on offshore casino sites is against the Ohio regulations. On a brighter note, the local law enforcement doesn’t seem to be interested in harassing online casino customers, which means that Ohio-based i-gaming enthusiasts are pretty much free to play on the most popular USA online casinos.
Online Casinos
The state of Ohio doesn’t have any regulated online casinos, which means that offshore casinos are the only option for local gaming enthusiasts to experience the unique rush of playing the latest casino games over the internet. The high-profile offshore casinos that accept US-based players are definitely among the best sites in the entire industry. They offer exceptionally lucrative promotions, particularly when compared with their European counterparts, while simultaneously giving you access to a wide range of slots, virtual video poker machines, and table games.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Ohio Players
All the noteworthy Ohio-friendly casino sites are powered by Real Time Gaming software due to the fact that other software developers refuse to cooperate with the companies that operate on the US market in order not to disrupt their ties with the regulated businesses in Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware.
Fortunately, RTG is widely considered to be one of the best casino game developers in the industry. Obviously, playing on more than one RTG site at a time doesn’t really give you many additional titles to choose from, but there’s no denying the fact that some of the best casinos do everything in their power to expand their game selection by offering additional games designed by third-party companies.
The biggest obstacle for Ohio residents who want to play on offshore casino sites is the lack of reliable and convenient banking methods. Credit card deposits tend to get blocked from time to time, and while you won’t lose any money in such a case, your casino account won’t be credited with any of the funds that you tried to send.
Many players consider Western Union and MoneyGram money orders to be a reliable alternative, but keep in mind that those banking methods aren’t supported by every site and in most cases the player is required to cover the additional transactional fees. On a brighter note, instant withdrawals don’t require you to go through a lot of hassle and are usually completed without any unnecessary delays. The default cash out method for most casinos is a bank wire transfer, but in most cases you’ll be able to request your winnings via a check by courier.
Developing Legal Scenarios
Ohio Lottery Director Dennis Berg revealed that the local lawmakers are interested in introducing online gambling-friendly regulations, but no bills have been presented in the House of Ohio so far. Furthermore, online gambling is widely accepted by the Ohio populace, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the new regulations are fairly likely to pass over the next few years.
