The figure is for the entire month of January, and although the number of accounts is known, the total bets placed will be available later this month.
GeoComply’s Data Indicates Strong Growth
Data from GeoComply shows that Ohio’s sports betting apps have been enjoyed quite heavily in January. About 160 million geolocation checks came up from Ohio, but this doesn’t tell the story of how many bets were placed, for example, or the size of the bets. This information will come from Ohio’s Casino Control Commission and Lottery Commission.
These geolocation checks are how apps and websites can verify the person placing the bet is doing so from the proper location. In the case of Ohio, for example, it’s the reason why Kentuckians must travel there to place their mobile sports bets. However, the check itself doesn’t only happen when placing a bet – opening the app or traveling can also be triggers.
Therefore, it’s not possible to tell how many of those 160 million geolocation checks were actual bets, and why the data from Ohio’s regulators is so eagerly awaited. Although direct comparisons aren’t entirely possible, it’s noteworthy that Ohio surpassed New York in the number of geolocation checks during launch day and the day after.
There is also information about the number of active accounts in Ohio for January 1 and 2. GeoComply’s data showed that the total active accounts in Ohio were 784,000 back then. This means that Ohio’s betting apps have almost tripled their users within just a month. Given that Super Bowl 2023 is set to attract more than 50 million Americans, this growth might just continue in Ohio.
The Future of Ohio’s Market Looks Positive
Although there is no data to compare Ohio to other states for the entire month, there’s another metric in which Ohio is a clear leader, that’s the number of geolocation checks during the playoffs between January 14 and January 29. Ohio was leading with 87 million checks, followed by New York with 72 million, and Pennsylvania with 65 million checks.
The growth in the number of active accounts, along with the activity they display is probably very attractive for operators who haven’t jumped in the state yet. There were no fewer than 16 digital operators and 13 retail sportsbooks active in the state at launch, including FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, Barstool Sportsbook, and more.
These figures are also important when looking at Ohio’s future. Strongly developing markets sometimes leave regulation lagging. Not only does this inhibit growth at some point, but it sometimes also leaves lasting effects when corrective measures are late. Fortunately, Ohio had the foresight to implement tighter responsible gambling rules ahead of the launch to combat this.