Starting January 2023, the state of Ohio legalized sports betting. The legalization of sports betting has led many questions to arise one of which pertains to the legality of online poker. Unfortunately, at the present moment, there aren’t any explicit laws that talk about the permission or outlawing of online poker. So it is kind of an open question is online poker legal in ohio?
The absence of explicit legislation which talks about online poker in Ohio means that the operating environment lies in a grey area. This however is beneficial for both poker operators/casinos as well as poker players. This is necessitated by the fact that poker operators (offshore) can set up shop without worrying about crossing paths with law enforcement authorities as there aren’t any laws they are breaking. At the same time, the mere fact that the operating environment lies in a grey area with regard to the legality of online poker in Ohio means that poker lovers can enjoy poker games at offshore sites without worrying about going beyond the confines of the law.
When will Online Poker Go Legal in Ohio?
Though there aren’t any explicit laws regulating online poker in Ohio, some folks prefer it if they know the exact laws which pertain to the games, they want to engage in. On this front, it’s safe to say that it’s going to be long before the authorities draft explicit online poker laws.
Taking a cue from sports betting which was legalized just recently (January 2023), things might take a long before the legalization of online poker. Since 2018 when the PASPA law was overturned, several states in the U.S. quickly embraced sports betting and legalized it. however, Ohio took things slowly something which saw it only legalize sports betting several years after many states were already reaping betting rewards. Even more worrisome for poker lovers in Ohio is that at the present moment, there aren’t any discussions and deliberations in the Ohio General Assembly regarding the legalization of online poker.
The legality of Other Gambling Activities in the State
The Buckeye State has not introduced any online gambling regulations into its lawbooks. This, therefore, means apart from online poker, there isn’t any other online gambling activity that’s legally permitted. At the same time, however, there isn’t any ban on online gambling activities.
This in turn means there aren’t any Ohio-regulated online casinos and betting sites while at the same time, offshore casinos can accept players from the state owing to the legal grey area guiding online gambling activities.
Benefits of Playing at Offshore Poker Sites
The legal grey area surrounding online gambling in Ohio means players can enjoy games at offshore poker sites. There are many great benefits of playing games at such sites which include:
- Availability of a wide range of poker sites to choose from.
- The ability to claim various bonuses and promotions including those that have territorial restrictions
- Participate in different poker tournaments from all around the world.