Ohio Sports Betting Launch Promos, Bonuses & Live Updates

Ohio Sports Betting Launch Promos, Bonuses & Live Updates article feature image

We're just a few hours away from the first NFL Sunday with legal Ohio sports betting available.

The state launched betting on New Year's Day at midnight. More than a dozen sportsbooks went live immediately or plan to early Sunday, and they're giving out a combined $8,000 in bonuses.

Now, it's not all cash — there are stipulations. Most are offering "bet credits" or "first bets on the house" which require you to actually make wagers and win them before you can withdraw it. We put together a handy guide on the optimal way to use all your bonuses.

Below, we explain all 14 available offers in Ohio on Sunday, and keep tabs on the latest sportsbook developments in the state throughout the day.

Ohio Sports Betting Promos & Bonuses

OK, now to the offers. Use the links below to jump ahead to each sportsbook if you already know what promo code you're looking for. If not, check out each book in order.

Click to jump to each book
1.BetMGM
2. FanDuel
3.bet365
4. Caesars
5. Barstool
6. SuperBook
7. PointsBet
8. Hard Rock
9. BetFred
10. DraftKings
11. BetRivers
12. Betr
13. BetJACK
14. Tipico

Key Things to Know

Before we cover all the offers, there are two things you should know — what each bonus actually means, and the best ways to use them.

1. BetMGM Promo Code

  • Promo code: ACTIONNFL
  • Offer: Bet $10, get $200 in bet credits

BetMGM is offering new users $200 in bet credits when they bet at least $10 on any NFL game. It's a better offer than the $1,000 first bet on the house that MGM has available in most other states.

Why BetMGM: BetMGM has established itself as a legitimate presence in the U.S. sports betting scene behind DraftKings and FanDuel. The sportsbook has some of the best pricing available for first touchdown scorer props, plus a can't-miss first TD promo for TNF and MNF.

MGM also relies on its own odds, so it's a great place to shop for the best odds since they won't always blindly copy the rest of the market when a line moves.

2. FanDuel Promo Code

FanDuel is giving all new users $200 in bonus bets if they deposit and wager at least $5 on any event. It's a better offer than the $1,000 no-sweat bet that FanDuel offers in all other states.

That's because to get $1,000, you actually need to wager that much, and if your first bet loses, you'll get it back in bonus bets, not actual cash.

Why FanDuel: The clear market leader in online sports betting, FanDuel has won so far with its same game parlay product and an extensive menu of props. They will basically let you parlay anything, which is all most bettors want nowadays.

» Return to the table of contents «

3. bet365 Promo Code

  • Promo code: ACTION
  • Offer: $200 in bet credits

Bet365 has probably the simplest offer on the market — just bet $1 on anything and get $200 in bet credits. You can then use those bet credits on anything.

Why bet365: It's the world's biggest sportsbook, and Ohio will be its third U.S. state. But bet365 has an excellent product, with bet types on just about everything.

4. Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code

  • Promo code: ACTION41BET
  • Offer: $1,500 first bet on the house

Sadly, Caesars isn't offering the $3,000 deposit match as it did in New York — arguably the best sports betting sign-up promo ever.

Instead, you can get a $1,500 first bet on the house. That means if your first wager on the platform loses, you'll get refunded in bet credits, equal to whatever you lost.

Why Caesars: Caesars is one of the market leaders in sports betting, and offers some nice same game parlay features that allow you to use statistics in SGPs that other books don't.

5. Barstool Promo Code

  • Promo code: ACTNEWSOH
  • Offer: $100 bonus cash, plus $1,000 first bet on the house

This offer is sort of two parts, but sort of one part. Let me explain.

You'll get $100 in bonus cash if you make a wager on the platform, no matter what. But your first bet is also a first bet on the house up to $1,000.

Why BarstoolBarstool has been rapidly expanding into more states and if you're a fan of their personalities, the sportsbook offers unique boosts and promos for all existing users tailored to Barstool.

» Return to the table of contents «

6. SuperBook Promo Code

Superbook is one of the only sportsbooks to use "bonus vouchers." It means that part of your bet will be cash, and part will be bonus money.

Say I put $20 on the Bengals +100 on Monday Night Football against the Bills. If it's a 50% bonus voucher, $10 will be placed with cash and $10 with bonus cash (meaning you don't keep the initial stake with the $10 in bonus cash).

So if Cincinnati wins, you'll profit $10 and keep $10 from the cash bet, and keep $10 from the bonus cash for $20 profit. If Cincy loses, you'll only lose $10 in cash.

Why SuperBook: Originally the sportsbook out of the Westgate in Las Vegas, Superbook has expanded slowly into the rest of the U.S. But it offers strong moneyline pricing on sports like MLB and NHL and is the only book in the U.S. to offer players to not score a touchdown.

7. PointsBet Promo Code

  • Promo code: Use this link
  • Offer: $200 in bet credits plus a $100 bet on the house for five days

PointsBet is giving new users $200 in bet credits when they sign up, plus a $100 first bet on the house each of your first five days on the platform.

Let's say I bet $100 on the Jets -2 tomorrow and it loses — I'll get $100 back in bet credits. If I then bet $100 on the Bengals on MNF and it loses, I'll get $100 back in bet credits.

Why PointsBet: PointsBet has one of the more unique betting features in the country — its called points betting. It allows you to win or lose more depending on how much your bet wins or loses by (i.e. if you bet Bengals +1 and they win by 10, you'll win 11x your bet stake. If they lose by 10, you'd lose 9x your bet).

8. Hard Rock Promo Code

Make your first deposit and you'll get to spin Hard Rock's "mystery wheel." That will give you bonus bets anywhere from $25 to $5,000.

Why Hard Rock: This book has one of the best app interfaces in most states, Ohio included. It uses a different front-end in New Jersey that's not as strong.

9. Betfred Promo Code

  • Promo code: Use this link
  • Offer: Bet $50, get up to $1,111 in Fred Bets

OK, this offer is a bit confusing. Here's my most succinct version.

You'll get $111 in Fred Bets after your first $50 wager. Then, you'll also get "50% back on combined total net losses per week, up to $200 in Fred Bets per week, for five consecutive calendar weeks, beginning on the date of their first bet." So if you lose $400 in your first week, you'll get $200 back in Fred Bets.

» Return to the table of contents «

10. DraftKings Promo Code

To get the full DraftKings offer, you need to deposit $5,000 — 20% of that is $1,000. It also comes with a pretty hefty rollover, which means the bonus bets release as you wager more on the platform.

Why DraftKings: DK has fallen behind FanDuel a bit but still boasts a strong product and huge menu of bets, including props and futures you can't find anywhere else.

11. BetRivers Promo Code

  • Promo code: Use this link
  • Offer: $500 second chance bet (aka first bet on the house)

BetRivers is offering new users a $500 first bet on the house. That means if your first wager loses, you'll be refunded in bet credits, equal to whatever you lost (as long as its $500 or less).

12. Betr Promo Code

Betr is giving $100 in bet credits to the first 10,000 people who sign up and verify their identity.

Betr is a brand-new sportsbook; Ohio is its first state. It's a "micro-betting" app, which will offer instant-action bets like "will the next pitch be a strike" or "will the next play be a pass or run?" The founder of Betr is also behind Simple Bet, which offers these micro bet technology to bigger books like DraftKings and FanDuel.

13. BetJACK Promo Code

  • Promo code: Use this link
  • Offer: $200 deposit match in site credit

BetJACK is another new sportsbook, promising to be "Ohio's local" operator. It's part of Jack Cleveland Casino (formerly Horseshoe Cleveland) in downtown Cleveland.

14. Tipico Promo Code

Site credit is better than bet credits because you usually get to keep the bet amount. So if you put $50 in site credit on the Bengals +100 and they win, you profit $50 and keep the $50 in credit.

OH only. 21+. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

» Return to the table of contents «

How would you rate this article?

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.