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Is this a major cause for concern? Absolutely not. To start things off in 2023, Ohio was able to legalize sports betting and people all over the state could not have been happier. In terms of local sports, there are countless options for people to bet on and fans across the board raced to put their money down on top teams. However, to no surprise, Ohio sports betting is down a bit to start 2024. Again, this is no major cause for concern.
According to a report, the sports betting handle compared to the start of 2023 has dropped thus far this year. In January, the sports betting revenue was higher, but the total handle dropped. The exact same can be said for February’s numbers. Lawmakers and officials were expecting a bit of a dip in the betting stats, as ’23 was totally off the charts. Ohio made history with both its handle and revenue that they were able to post in the first year.
That’s a major reason why no one is hitting the panic button on what we’ve seen in the first two months of the new year. Even though the drop in production is a bit head-turning, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Ohio was still able to post a sports betting handle of more than $800 million. This would be a dream number for most states, but keep in mind that things were much higher last January.
All in all, though, it has been an incredible first 14.5 months of sports betting for Ohio. While the past two months haven’t been through the roof, that doesn’t take away from the fact that things have been booming and more positive updates should be on the way in the near future. Ohio remains one of the top states in terms of its handle across the USA. We don’t see a scenario where this changes in the near future.
Ohio sports betting should bounce back this spring
It goes without saying, but Ohio sports betting should bounce back this spring thanks to MLB betting being back in our lives. In only a few short weeks, Opening Day will be here and people can’t wait for the action to get started. There are several teams poised to improve their World Series betting odds from the start. The long list includes the Yankees, Dodgers, Braves, Astros, Rangers and many more.
Taking a look at Ohio specifically, plenty of eyes are going to be both on the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians. Starting with the Guardians, they have a lot of young talent and fans are waiting to see if they’ll be calling up some top prospects early on in the campaign. Things haven’t gone according to plan for Cleveland in recent seasons, but they sure have what it takes to surprise a lot of people in the American League this year.
We believe in Stephen Vogt.
We have hired Stephen Vogt as the 45th manager in franchise history.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/OA9WfVy0Vr
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) November 6, 2023
The same can be said for the Cincinnati Reds in the National League. While the Reds have been in the basement of the division for a little while, they also have an influx of young superstars who should be ready to take their game to the next level in 2024. Fans all over Ohio have been waiting for the Reds youngsters to play at a high level, but something tells us this will be the case this season. Will these playmakers turn a corner?
Outside of the Reds and Guardians, people in Ohio are going to be keeping close tabs on baseball as a whole. Other than football, baseball is considered the most popular sport in the state. As we get closer to Opening Day too, we expect plenty of futures bets to be placed. Then once the action begins, MLB betting odds are going to be checked consistently all the way through the fall. Exciting times are ahead for baseball betting in the state, no doubt about that.
NFL postseason numbers were down for Ohio this year
In some not-so-great news, NFL postseason numbers were down for Ohio this year, which was a bit of a surprise. The Cleveland Browns were in the playoffs, but Joe Flacco and Co. suffered an early exit. One of the main reasons we think the numbers were down was because of the Bengals missing the playoffs. As you all know by now, Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending hand injury. As soon as that happened, the campaign felt wrapped up for Cincinnati. It was a year to forget for the AFC North side.
WE WANT TO TWEET ABOUT FREE AGENCY SO BAD pic.twitter.com/9RGUisJoXP
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 12, 2024
The Belief was that the Bengals would be able to push for a trip to the Super Bowl this season and they even had decent Super Bowl betting odds before the first game of the year. However, things just didn’t click for the Bengals and fans were left disappointed. With them missing the playoffs too, it was brutal for the sports betting numbers. The hope now is that sports betting and the Bengals can both bounce back next winter. An improvement will be needed for January 2025.
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