When Will Ohio Sports Betting Launch? Timeline & Available Sportsbooks at Midnight

Hey, Ohio — sports betting is just a few hours away.

If you're staying up past midnight on New Year's Eve, you'll be able to sign up and bet as early as 12 a.m. ET on Sunday morning at some sportsbooks. If not, you can sign up Sunday morning ahead of a huge NFL slate.

We're still waiting for official confirmation on when each book will go live, but many have already confirmed they will attempt to launch right when the clock hits 12:00 a.m. In previous state launches, there are always a few books lagging behind or technical issues prevent them from launching until later in the day.

There are 22 online sportsbook licenses approved in the state so far, though many won't launch right on New Year's Day.

Ohio Sports Betting Launch Timeline

Ohio will flip sports betting live right when the ball drops at midnight. You can then begin betting immediately.

Here are the books that have indicated to us they will be live at midnight ET on Saturday night:

• FanDuel
• BetMGM
• bet365
• Caesars
• Barstool
• DraftKings
• PointsBet (possible)
• BetFred (possible)
• Bally Bet
• Betr
• Hard Rock
• Tipico

Should I Sign Up Now, or Wait?

After previous state launches like New York, sportsbooks have realized the importance of acquiring customers first. Users are more likely to stick with the first 1-2 sportsbooks they signed up with, so there's an incentive to offer their best promos right when a state goes online.

That means you'll to want to sign up for as many sportsbooks as you can this weekend to take advantage of the free money. Not that the offers will disappear tonight, but as we exit football season, many offers will get worse.

For example, FanDuel is offering $200 in bonus bets for new Ohio users. In all other states, it's offering a $1,000 no-sweat bet (we explain why that's a worse offer here).

Our Favorite Pre-Registration Offers

I've been testing and using these sportsbook products for years now in New Jersey. Here are five books you should use from the jump when Ohio goes live. The first four (BetMGM, FanDuel, Bet365 and Caesars) are expected to be live right at midnight, while PointsBet is still TBD.

1. BetMGM

Here's what you need to know about BetMGM's pre-registration offer.

• Promo code: Use BetMGM bonus code ACTIONOHIO to earn $200 bet credits.
• No deposit is needed to get the $200 in bet credits. Once sports betting is live, a $10 deposit will be required to unlock the same offer.
• $200 will be credited to your account on Jan. 1, 2023 at midnight. The bets will expire seven days after creating your account, so don't wait to use them.

2. FanDuel Sportsbook

Promo: No FanDuel promo code is required to earn $100 in bonus bets at signup and three free months of NBA League Pass. Just use this link.

The $100 and NBA League Pass offer expire on Jan. 31, 2023. Use your $100 on one or multiple bets before it expires at the end of January.

3. Caesars Sportsbook

• Promo code: Use ACTIONTIX to claim a $100 bet credit and weekly entries into Cleveland Cavaliers ticket giveaways.
• You must deposit at least $20 to get the $100.
• Caesars will move to a $1,500 first bet on the house on Jan. 1, which requires you to risk much more than the ACTIONTIX offer.
• The Caesars bet credit must be used on one wager by Jan. 8. That means you can't split it up into several different wagers.

4. bet365

Bet365 isn't well-known in the United States just yet, but is the world's biggest sportsbook for good reason.

• Promo: Use bet365 promo code ACTION to earn $100 in bet credits when you register for the first time.
• Use the bet credits before March 31 — you have 90 days to use them.

5. PointsBet

PointsBet is the only book promotion that is not expiring before Jan. 1.  We recommend registering for the other sportsbooks before their offers expire on Dec. 31.

Promo: New OH users don't need a PointsBet promo code to earn $200 in Bet Credits plus five $100 in Second Chance Bet Credits when you register. Just use that link above.

The 5x offer works like this. If your first wager of the day in each of your first five days loses, you'll get bet credits back, up to $100 per day.