Upcoming legal sports betting in Ohio is not a hot topic for state residents as only 16% of them plan to wager on sporting events, a recent poll suggests.
21 Out of 25 Voters Will Not Bet
The poll that was conducted by Emerson College on September 12-13 and sought to determine the intentions of Ohio residents ahead of the mid-term elections in November, also asked the 1,000 participants that were selected on their likelihood to vote about the upcoming legalization of sports betting on January 1, 2023.
The poll found that an overwhelming majority of 84% of the respondents have no plans to bet on any sports, a result that may not be so encouraging for the bold ambitions of operators and service suppliers vying for a piece of the lucrative market.
15% of respondents are planning to participate in sports betting in some capacity as 8% plan to use both online and in-person sports betting, 4% will rely entirely on the online channel to wager, 2% will bet at casinos in-person only, and 1% will place their bets at stadia or arenas.
Commenting on the poll results, Emerson College Polling Director Spencer Kimball outlined that, of those who plan to wager on sports, male voters represent 20% and dominated the female voters who were only 12%.
Expansive Betting Options Upcoming
The sports betting market in The Buckeye State is expected to be one of the most expansive in the US, luring bettors with statewide mobile sportsbooks, retail sportsbooks at casinos and stadia, and hundreds of betting kiosks integrated inside Ohio bars, restaurants and grocery stores. One of the high schools, Spire Institute, is also among the candidates for a sports betting license.
The availability of numerous retail betting options would not hinder the online sports betting channel from generating the lion’s share of wagers once the legal market goes live next year, market analysts believe, especially as virtually all major online players are in line to launch operations.
Earlier in the month, the state’s Casino Control Commission approved more than 300 Class C licenses for bars, restaurants and grocery stores, as well as three professional sports franchises, MLB’s Cincinnati Reds, NFL’s Cleveland Browns, and MLS’ Columbus Crew, to offer legal sports betting.
Two professional teams, FC Cincinnati Holdings and Cincinnati Bengals, did not receive an immediate ruling by the state regulator regarding their applications for Class A and Class B and Class B licenses, respectively, due to not having representatives present at the regulator’s meeting