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.

Last review: June 11, 2026
Authority: Ohio Rev. Code § 2915.01

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+

That is Ohio's statutory floor. An operator's own terms can set a higher number, and the one that binds you is whichever is higher. Bonus Bandit is written for readers 21 and older. How we handle age

What is specific to Ohio

The Ohio classification is tied to the state record and source trail shown below.

The classification record cites 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).
116 tracked operators currently report accepting Ohio players.
The state record was last reviewed on 2026-06-11T21:23:13.637377+00:00.

This is information, not legal advice. Rules and thresholds change. Confirm the current position with the operator and your state attorney general, or consult a lawyer.

PRIMARY-SOURCE BRIEF

Ohio regulates sweepstakes terminal facilities while online expansion remains proposed

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 2915 regulates schemes of chance and sweepstakes terminal devices. Section 2915.01 covers electronic devices and product or prize factors relevant to valuable consideration, and defines a sweepstakes terminal device through features such as simulated game terminals, software-controlled prize outcomes, finite pools, predetermined entries, and incremental reveals. Section 2915.02 prohibits specified profitable schemes and facility operation, restricts cash or cash-equivalent prizes and certain higher-value merchandise, and provides an Attorney General registration, certificate, and reporting framework for covered facilities. The code is not an automatic internet-only safe harbor.

The Attorney General's internet-cafe page says operators must register and obtain a certificate and that unregistered terminal operation is illegal. An October 2013 release announced letters, investigation authority, registration, and reporting after the earlier sweepstakes-cafe law. That is a concrete historical posture, but it concerns physical cafes and does not prove a current case against a remote dual-currency site. SB197, introduced in 2025, would address internet gambling and an online sweepstakes game with dual currencies, but the official status page shows only introduction and referral. The proposal is not enacted law. Device, display, prize, consideration, redemption, and physical-location facts may change the analysis.

Enforcement search: The Ohio Attorney General announced an October 2013 enforcement effort directed at internet-sweepstakes cafes. The current page says covered operations require registration and certification. No reviewed source named a remote dual-currency operator in a current case.
Question still open: How Ohio's terminal and facility provisions apply to a remote web or app product, and whether SB197 or a successor advances or clarifies online dual-currency games, remains unresolved.

Official sources checked for Ohio

Sources rechecked 2026-08-23. Next scheduled review 2026-11-23. This brief explains the record; it does not replace advice about a specific product or situation.

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 operators we track accept Ohio players, per their own published terms (we link the terms we reviewed on each review page):

How this classification was reached

Show the record, the citation and the method

What this classification rests on

A status word is a summary, so here is the record underneath it for Ohio. Where our database holds nothing, the row says Not recorded rather than leaving the gap for you to misread.

Source date: Not recorded
Last human review: June 11, 2026
Effective date: Not recorded
Basis of classification: statutory

Source date is the most recent legal event we track for this state. Basis is derived from those events, from the cited authority where we have one, and from operator-reported exits only when nothing else is on record. Missing rows are gaps in our records, not findings about the law. Research, not legal advice.

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).

The status hero shows the short form of this reference. This is the complete string as our database holds it, unedited.

Method

How a state gets a classification, what counts as a primary source, and how often each group is re-checked: our methodology. Corrections go to Noah Rafkin, and every tracked change lands in the changelog.

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(C) (scheme of chance; deemed consideration) and § 2915.02(A)(2), (A)(5)-(6), (K) (gambling; sweepstakes terminal devices; penalties).

Does Ohio's internet-cafe registration regime automatically cover a remote dual-currency website?

The reviewed sources do not establish that. The enacted provisions focus on sweepstakes terminal devices and facilities, while SB197 would address online concepts but remains a proposal. The site's device, display, prize, consideration, redemption, and location facts require separate analysis.

What is the dual-currency model?

Sweepstakes casinos run on two currencies: free Gold Coin (GC) entertainment play with no prize redemption, and a Sweeps Coin (SC) side that can be redeemed for cash prizes. We have found no state law that explicitly prohibits sweepstakes casinos here. That is an absence of a tracked prohibition, not an affirmative authorization.

Which operators accept Ohio players?

116 operators we track accept Ohio players, per their own published terms (we link the terms we reviewed on each review page). Trust Score leaderboard →

This page is research, not legal advice. Statuses are reviewed against primary sources and re-checked as legislation moves; if you spot a change we've missed, email noah.rafkin@bonusbandit.win. Always confirm with the operator and your state attorney general before depositing. Laws change quickly in this space. Last verified June 11, 2026.