STATE TRACKER · OH
Sweepstakes casinos in Ohio
Current status
No tracked explicit prohibition
We have found no state law that explicitly prohibits sweepstakes casinos here. That is an absence of a tracked prohibition, not an affirmative authorization.
There is no tracked prohibition here to act on. An operator's own terms still decide whether it will register you, and some exclude states that have taken no action at all, so read the terms we link on each review page. See the operators we track
- Sweeps Coins (SC) redemption
- No tracked prohibition
- Gold Coin (GC) free play
- Yes
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Age floor source
- Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 3109.01 (Age of majority)
PRIMARY-SOURCE NOTE
Ohio's deemed-consideration test mostly turns on operator devices and single locations
What the law does
Section 2915.02(A)(2) makes it an offense to establish, promote or operate any scheme of chance, or to knowingly facilitate one, and division (B) counts playing such a scheme as facilitating it2. Section 2915.01(C) defines a scheme of chance as one where a participant gives valuable consideration for a chance to win a prize, and it adds the use of an electronic device to reveal a game entry's result when consideration is paid directly or indirectly1. The same division lists nine situations in which consideration is deemed paid, among them buying more entries on the device, or with points or credits won as prizes1. That device must be owned, leased or possessed by the person running the scheme or by its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries or contractors1. Divisions (A)(5) and (A)(6) separately bar terminal-device sweepstakes at a terminal facility that award cash, gift cards or other barred prizes, or lack Attorney General registration2.
What has happened since
Our Ohio history holds no dated legal event. Section 2915.02 has read the same since House Bill 7 took effect on September 4, 20132. The Attorney General describes what followed for cafes: a moratorium on new ones through June 30, 2014, no cash, gift card or cash-equivalent prizes from the machines, merchandise prizes kept under a $10 wholesale value, and registration or a certificate of compliance for terminal operators3. House Bill 96 last amended section 2915.01, effective September 30, 2025, and against the 2021 version its wording changes only in a cross-reference1. Senate Bill 197, introduced on May 13, 2025 to legalize and tax internet gambling, went to the Select Committee on Gaming the next day45. House Bill 298, introduced on May 20, 2025, went to the House Finance Committee on May 216. Neither page lists later action46. We record 5 tracked operators as not taking Ohio players, and no exit is on file.
What is still open
Most deemed-consideration triggers turn on an operator-possessed device or are measured at one location, and a terminal facility is a place where a sweepstakes terminal device is provided1. Nothing in our record says whether a player's own phone counts as either. Two name neither: goods that cannot be used as advertised, and paying more than fair market value for goods or services to receive game entries1. So the question is whether a Gold Coin package bundled with bonus Sweeps Coins meets the fair market value trigger, or whether a free entry route keeps the game a division (BBB) sweepstakes, which requires entry without consideration1. House Bill 298 as introduced would add an offense for an online sweepstakes game using a dual-currency system, which current law does not name7.
- Enforcement search
- No dated charge, court ruling or Attorney General opinion in our Ohio record applies the state gambling chapter to a remote dual-currency site. The Attorney General registration regime we reviewed covers sweepstakes terminal devices at physical locations.
- Question still open
- Is a player's own phone or computer an electronic device or a terminal facility under the Ohio definitions, and if not, is buying a Gold Coin package valuable consideration paid indirectly for a chance at a Sweeps Coin prize?
Sources for this note
- Ohio Revised Code section 2915.01, gambling definitions (Ohio Legislative Service Commission) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code section 2915.02, gambling (Ohio Legislative Service Commission) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- Ohio Attorney General, services for internet cafes and sweepstakes accessed Sep 28, 2026
- Senate Bill 197, 136th General Assembly, status page (Ohio Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- Senate Bill 197, 136th General Assembly, as introduced (Ohio Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- House Bill 298, 136th General Assembly, status page (Ohio Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- House Bill 298, 136th General Assembly, as introduced (Ohio Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
Sources rechecked 2026-09-28. Next scheduled review 2026-12-28.
What the law says
Violating ORC 2915.02 (including promoting or operating a scheme of chance) is gambling, a first-degree misdemeanor; any prior gambling-offense conviction elevates it to a fifth-degree felony (§ 2915.02(K)). The attorney general has investigative powers over sweepstakes terminal device registrants (§ 2915.02(J)).
Operators and Ohio
116 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as accepting Ohio players, and 13 of those are rated trusted.
5 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Ohio players, and 1 of those records cites the operator's own terms.
1 sets a 19+ rule for Ohio players in its own terms.
Highest Trust Scores among the operators recorded as accepting Ohio:
How this classification was reached
Show the record, the citation and the method
What the Ohio classification rests on
- Source date
- Not recorded
- Last human review
- June 11, 2026
- Effective date
- Not recorded
- Basis of classification
- statutory
Where the operator counts come from
Of the 116 acceptance records, 37 cite the operator's own terms or rules, 10 come from a backfill of the operator's terms, 1 comes from the operator's site configuration, 13 are inferred because the terms do not list Ohio, 52 come from our bulk backfill without a terms citation and 3 reflect site availability with no observed Sweeps Coins program. Of the 5 exclusion records, 1 cites the operator's own terms or rules and 4 come from our bulk backfill without a terms citation.
Citation as stored
Ohio Rev. Code § 2915.01(C) (scheme of chance; deemed consideration) and § 2915.02(A)(2), (A)(5)-(6), (K) (gambling; sweepstakes terminal devices; penalties).
Primary sources on file
Method
Methodology · Corrections · Changelog · How to read a state page
Ohio questions
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Ohio?
We have found no state law that explicitly prohibits sweepstakes casinos here. That is an absence of a tracked prohibition, not an affirmative authorization. Authority: Ohio Rev. Code § 2915.01.
Do Ohio's deemed-consideration rules for sweepstakes machines reach a game played on a player's own phone?
Section 2915.01(C) lists nine situations in which valuable consideration is deemed paid; several turn on an electronic device owned, leased or possessed by the person running the scheme or its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries or contractors, and others are measured at any one location. We hold no Ohio ruling, opinion or charge that applies that list to a web or app game.
Which operators accept Ohio players?
116 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as accepting Ohio players, and 13 of those are rated trusted. 5 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Ohio players, and 1 of those records cites the operator's own terms. The leaderboard filtered to Ohio lists every one. Leaderboard filtered to Ohio →
This page is information, not legal advice. Laws and thresholds change quickly, so confirm with the operator and your state attorney general before depositing, or consult a lawyer. Last verified June 11, 2026. Send a correction.