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Fanatics Ohio: Legal Since Launch Day, Still No Casino

Fanatics Ohio has been legal since the literal first moment Ohio sports betting existed — January 1, 2023, the state's midnight "big bang" launch when every licensed operator went live at once. Nearly four years later, Fanatics is still here, the state has doubled its tax on the operators that take those bets, and Ohio still has not legalized the online casino product Fanatics offers in four other states.

Legal status in Ohio

Ohio legalized sports wagering under House Bill 29, signed in December 2021 and effective March 23, 2022, with the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) licensing operators ahead of a mandated launch no later than January 1, 2023 — the date every operator, Fanatics included, actually went live. That timing matters: Fanatics' Ohio market entry predates the April 2024 close of its $225 million PointsBet acquisition by more than a year, so unlike several states where Fanatics converted an inherited PointsBet license, Ohio was one of the up-to-25 online sports gaming proprietor licenses the OCCC issued directly. Lawmakers doubled the tax on operators' sports gaming receipts from 10% to 20% effective July 1, 2023 (House Bill 33), and Gov. Mike DeWine's 2025 budget pitched doubling it again to 40% to help fund pro-stadium projects — the legislature dropped that increase from the budget it passed in June 2025, leaving the rate at 20% through at least mid-2027. Ohio has never legalized online casino gaming for any operator; House Bill 298 and Senate Bill 197 would create it, but neither had moved by late 2026, and HB 298's own sponsor has said a realistic opening is more likely in 2027, after a new governor takes office.

State gambling authority: Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) — licenses every sports gaming proprietor in the state, including Fanatics, and administers the 20% tax on operator revenue.

Fanatics Ohio has been legal since the literal first moment Ohio sports betting existed. January 1, 2023 was the state's "big bang" launch day — every licensed operator went live at midnight at once, instead of trickling out one by one — and Fanatics was one of them. Almost four years on, the sportsbook is still licensed here, Ohio has doubled the tax it collects from operators like Fanatics, and the state still hasn't legalized the online casino product Fanatics runs in four other states.

Is Fanatics Legal in Ohio?

Ohio legalized sports wagering under House Bill 29, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in December 2021 and effective March 23, 2022. The law gave the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) authority to license up to 25 online sports gaming proprietors and set a hard deadline: wagering had to begin no later than January 1, 2023. The OCCC picked that exact date for the launch, and Fanatics was licensed and live when it arrived.

Day one, not a later conversion: Fanatics' Ohio license predates the company's $225 million acquisition of PointsBet's US business, which didn't close until April 2024 — more than a year after Ohio bettors could already open the Fanatics app.

Is Fanatics Legit in Ohio? It Isn't a PointsBet Conversion Here

In most states that carry a Fanatics review on this site, the story is the same: PointsBet held the license, Fanatics bought the company, and the app got a new logo. Ohio doesn't fit that pattern. Fanatics launched its own licensed operation here on January 1, 2023, well before the PointsBet deal existed in its final form. That makes Ohio one of the few markets where Fanatics built its presence from scratch rather than inheriting someone else's license.

The Ohio Tax Fight: 10% to 20%, and a Dropped Push to 40%

Legality hasn't moved since 2022. Cost to the operators has. Six months after launch, Ohio lawmakers passed House Bill 33, doubling the tax on sports gaming receipts from 10% to 20% effective July 1, 2023. Gov. DeWine went further in his 2025 executive budget, proposing another doubling — to 40% — with the extra revenue earmarked for professional sports facility projects, including stadium upgrades. Lawmakers didn't bite: the budget lawmakers actually passed in June 2025 left the increase out entirely.

Launch day: January 1, 2023 (statewide, all operators)

Initial tax on operators: 10% of sports gaming receipts

Current tax on operators: 20%, effective July 1, 2023

DeWine's 2025 proposal: 40% — dropped from the enacted budget

Regulator: Ohio Casino Control Commission

That tax lands on operator revenue, not on a bettor's individual wager, so it isn't the kind of per-bet surcharge Illinois started charging in 2025. It still matters to the market: higher taxes tend to squeeze the size and frequency of promotional offers an operator is willing to run, even when no line item shows up on a bet slip.

Two Retail Books, One Still Open

Fanatics also built a retail presence in Ohio. Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus opened in August 2023 next to the Columbus Blue Jackets' Nationwide Arena, in partnership with the NHL team, and has kept operating since. A second location opened the same month outside Cleveland's Progressive Field with the Cleveland Guardians — Fanatics' first retail sportsbook at an MLB ballpark — but that one has since closed for good. Coverage of the closure pointed to a broader Ohio trend: roughly 98% of the legal sports betting handle in the state now moves through mobile apps rather than a physical counter.

Still No Fanatics Casino in Ohio

Anyone searching "Fanatics Casino Ohio" is searching for a product that cannot legally exist here yet, for any operator. Ohio has never authorized online casino gaming; Fanatics Casino runs in just four states — Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia — and Ohio was never one of them. Two bills filed in 2025, House Bill 298 and Senate Bill 197, would create a licensed iGaming market, but neither had passed as of late 2026. HB 298's own sponsor has said he doesn't expect real movement until 2027, after Ohio elects a new governor in November 2026 and the debate over gambling expansion potentially resets.

Who It Fits

Ohio bettors get one of Fanatics' longest-running, most stable markets — licensed from launch day, not bolted on through an acquisition, with a real (if pricier for the operator) regulatory track record behind it. What they don't get, and won't for at least another year or two, is a Fanatics casino app. Treat the sportsbook as entertainment, not income, and use the OCCC's responsible-gaming tools or 1-800-GAMBLER if betting stops feeling like either. 21+ only.

Fanatics Sportsbook Ohio — Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fanatics legal in Ohio?

Yes. Fanatics Sportsbook has operated under an Ohio Casino Control Commission license since the state's January 1, 2023 launch day, when online and retail sports betting became legal for every licensed operator simultaneously. There's no gray area and no workaround needed — it's been a fully regulated product here for nearly four years.

Is Fanatics legit in Ohio, or is it just a renamed PointsBet?

In Ohio specifically, it isn't a PointsBet conversion at all. Fanatics launched its own licensed Ohio operation on day one, January 1, 2023 — more than a year before Fanatics Betting and Gaming closed its $225 million acquisition of PointsBet's US business in April 2024. The PointsBet-to-Fanatics brand switch that defines Fanatics' history in other states simply didn't happen here; Ohio was a native Fanatics market from the start.

Did Ohio raise taxes on Fanatics bets?

Ohio raised the tax operators pay on their sports gaming revenue, not a fee charged to bettors. House Bill 33 doubled that rate from 10% to 20% effective July 1, 2023. Gov. DeWine proposed doubling it again to 40% in his 2025 budget to help fund stadium projects, but lawmakers stripped that increase out before passing the budget in June 2025 — the rate has stayed at 20% since.

Does Fanatics have an online casino in Ohio?

No, and that isn't specific to Fanatics — Ohio has never legalized online casino gaming for any operator. Fanatics Casino exists in only four states (Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia). Two 2025-filed bills, House Bill 298 and Senate Bill 197, would authorize it, but neither had passed by late 2026, and HB 298's sponsor has pointed to 2027 — after Ohio elects a new governor in November 2026 — as the more realistic window.

Is Fanatics safe to use in Ohio?

Yes. It operates under active OCCC oversight with the same geolocation enforcement, mandatory responsible-gaming tools, and state complaint channel as every other Ohio-licensed sportsbook. Being a day-one market rather than a later conversion hasn't changed that regulatory bar.

Can I still bet at a Fanatics retail sportsbook in Ohio?

One of the two Fanatics opened. Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus, built with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets next to Nationwide Arena, opened in August 2023 and has continued operating. Its sister location outside Cleveland's Progressive Field, opened the same month with the Cleveland Guardians, has since closed for good — reporting on the closure noted that roughly 98% of Ohio's legal sports betting dollars now come through mobile apps, not a betting window.

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