Ohio Online Casinos

Can I Gamble Online In Ohio?

Yes, those located in Ohio can legally play online casino games at sweepstakes casinos. These casinos aren’t classified as “real-money online casinos”. Instead, they operate under sweepstakes laws.

Play at Sweepstakes Casinos in Ohio

At sweepstakes casinos in Ohio, you won’t gamble with real money. Instead, you’ll play casino games with virtual currency, including FREE Sweeps Coins and Gold Coins.

These are the same casino games you’ll find at real-money casinos. Popular games include slot machines, table games, video poker, and live dealer games.

Sweepstakes casinos such as Zula Casino have partnerships with big-name iGaming developers like Pragmatic Play. At free sweeps cash casinos, you can play some of the most popular games in Pragmatic Play’s library, like Big Bass Bonanza, Madame Destiny Megaways, and Gates of Olympus are available here.

Other sweepstakes casinos, like High 5 Casino and Stake.us, offer live dealer games – a game category you’d only find at real-money casinos up until recently.

Once you’ve won enough Free Sweeps Coins, you can redeem them for real cash prizes.

Can I Win Real Money at Ohio Sweepstakes Casinos?

Yes! Although you’ll play with Gold Coins and FREE Sweeps Coins at real money casinos in Ohio, you’ll still be able to redeem Free Sweeps Coins for cash prizes, once you’ve won a minimum number of them.

Are Ohio Sweepstakes Online Casinos Legit?

Ohio sweepstakes online casinos are legit – at least the ones that we review on our site are. These casinos are owned by companies with years of experience in the online casino industry and partner with prestigious iGaming developers.

My Ohio Online Casino Experience

I really enjoyed playing at Ohio’s online casinos. All the casinos I tried offered – at a bare minimum – a solid selection of games, great player experience, and plenty of payment and redemption options.

Yet, some of the online casinos offered a better game selection and website interface than others.

Player experience and game selection are two of the most important factors to me when choosing an online casino. If a site isn’t easy to navigate and doesn’t load quickly, it totally detracts from the entire experience for me.

Game selection is also a huge factor when I’m deciding to sign up for an account at a casino. I get bored easily, so I need a solid selection of new games or at least exclusives to keep my mind occupied – and I always love seeing at least a few of my favorites, too.

When it came to mobile gameplay, I found myself playing at desktop sites more often than not. Yet, six online casinos offer dedicated mobile apps, which I enjoyed playing on my mobile phone.

In particular, I enjoyed playing on High 5 Casino’s dedicated mobile app, especially since this online casino has a selection of over 800 games and is also one of the few that offers live dealer games.

Though not all online casinos offer dedicated mobile apps, many still offer a solid experience on their mobile sites. Online casinos with a great mobile-optimized site included Stake.us, Chumba Casino, WOW Vegas, and McLuck.com.

Ohio Sweepstakes Casino List

Best Ohio Sweepstakes Casinos

Out of all the sweepstakes casinos in Ohio, which are the best?

The best Ohio online sweepstakes casinos offer solid welcome bonuses, a great selection of games, plenty of ways to contact customer service, as well as self-exclusion options.

Some of the best sweepstakes casinos in the Buckeye State include Zula Casino, High 5 Casino, Stake, WOW Vegas, and Fortune Coins.

Zula Casino

Available to players in Ohio, Zula Casino offers a solid selection of slot games by one of the most popular iGaming developers – Pragmatic Play. Play up to 250 games, including slots and fish games.

Sweeps Coins must be played 2x before they’re eligible for redemption, and you must win at least 50 SC to redeem for gift cards and 100 SC to redeem for cash prizes. New players can get a Zula Casino sign up bonus of 100,000 Gold Coins and 10 FREE Sweeps Coins upon new account signup.

High 5 Casino

One of my favorite sweepstakes casinos online in Ohio is High 5 Casino.

This new online casino has one of the best selections of casino games available in the state. It’s also one of the best no-deposit offers you can find.

Play over 800 games, including slots, table games, and live dealer games by Pragmatic Play and Relax Gaming. There are even High 5 Games exclusives.

It’s easy to find games by category or by using the search bar.

New players can get 5 Free Sweeps Coins, plus 600 Free Diamonds (High 5 Casino’s branded “boosters”).

You only need to play Free Sweeps Coins 1x before they’re eligible for redemption, and you must win at least 50 SC to redeem for gift cards and 100 SC to redeem for cash prizes.

Stake.us

Stake.us has become a fast favorite of Ohio gamblers, and it’s easy to see why.

This online casino has an excellent selection of games, including live dealer games by iGaming designer Beter Live as well as Stake Exclusives, over 500 slot games by designers like Pragmatic Play, and game categories you don’t see often, including instant games.

Stake offers one of the best welcome bonuses out there. New Players can get 25 Stake Cash plus 250k Gold Coins on signup, plus a 1 SC and 10k GC daily login bonus.

You need to play Stake Cash 3x before it’s eligible for redemption.

You also must be at least 21 years old to play at Stake in Ohio.

WOW Vegas

Another one of my favorite gambling sites in Ohio is WOW Vegas.

There are over 600 slots available here, but don’t let the sheer number overwhelm you – games are well organized by slot category including hold n’ win, jackpot games, classics, and new games.

The game quality doesn’t suffer either, as games are developed by big-name designers, including Pragmatic Play, 3 Oaks, and Betsoft.

New players can get a no-deposit bonus for 4.5 FREE Sweeps Coins, plus 8,500 FREE Wow Coins. There’s also a first purchase bonus. For $9.99 get 1,500,000 WOW Coins, plus 30 FREE Sweeps Coins.

You only need to play Free Sweeps Coins 1x before they’re eligible for withdrawal, and you need to win a minimum of 10 SC to redeem for gift cards, but you need 75 SC to redeem for cash prizes.

Fortune Coins

Another popular casino in Ohio is Fortune Coins, which offers a selection of over 200 games, including slots, fish games, Keno, and card games.

Fortune Coins is a relatively new sweepstakes casino that offers games mostly by Pragmatic Play.

New players can get a Fortune Coins Casino no deposit bonus for 43 FREE Fortune coins. There’s also a first purchase bonus of 20,000,000 Gold Coins, plus $50 of FREE Coins. You don’t need a promo code to claim this deal – just use the “Claim Offer” button to get to activate this bonus.

Fortune Coins also offers a bonus of GC 30,000, plus FC 100 when you log into your account and play every day.

You need to play Fortune Coins 2x before they’re eligible for withdrawal, and you must win at least 20 FC to redeem for gift cards and 50 FC to redeem for cash prizes.

How to Choose the Best Ohio Sweepstakes Casinos

Before signing up for an online casino in Ohio, you may want to consider a few factors first. Not all online casinos offer the same benefits, including welcome bonuses, customer service options, and game selection – and not all online casino bonuses are equally good.

Welcome Bonuses

Of course, you should always consider an online casino’s welcome bonus when weighing whether or not the platform is worth your time.

Most sweepstakes casinos online in Ohio offer at least a modest welcome bonus. And to be fair, some of my favorite online casinos in the state offer the most generous bonuses – including Zula Casino, High 5 Casino, and Stake.us.

Not only should you factor the welcome bonus into your decision, but you should also consider the bonus’s playthrough requirements (or the number of times you need to play your FREE Sweeps Coins before they can be redeemed for prizes).

If an online casino is offering 50 Free Sweeps Coins but has 5x playthrough requirements, it’s kind of the same thing as getting only 10 Free Sweeps Coins at a casino with 1x playthrough requirements.

Customer Service Options

An online casino is only as good as its customer service.

Even if you love playing the games, those games aren’t worth their weight if you can’t get a hold of a representative because you need help troubleshooting your redemptions or gameplay.

Most Gambling sites in Ohio offer the following customer service options:

• Live chat

• Email

• Social media messaging

Very few casinos offer customer support by phone – and usually only if you need help with payments or redemptions.

Player Experience

Player experience matters just as much as customer service and welcome bonuses. To be honest, it may even matter more.

If your player experience is good enough, you may never even need to contact customer support. When an online casino invests in its web experience, it shows.

Good player experience at an online casino means being able to find your favorite games without too much searching. It’s losing yourself in the experience because the games are so immersive and engaging.

It’s being able to make payments and withdrawals without the need to contact customer support.

Game Selection

An online casino can offer the best player experience, great welcome bonuses, and the best customer service, but it won’t matter if you’re not interested in any of the games in its library.

There are two things I look for when determining if an online casino’s game selection is worth my time: the quantity and quality of the titles.

I love it when an online casino offers hundreds of games. But I hate it when I go to play those games – only to find they’re all low quality or by no-name iGaming developers.

The types of games available are also important to me. I love to see game categories not represented at every other online casino. I especially love to see that a platform offers live casino games.

Low Redemption Minimums

Nearly all sweepstakes casinos online in Ohio require you to win a certain number of Free Sweeps Coins before you can redeem them for prizes

Redemption minimums for gift cards start at around 10 SC, and minimums for cash prizes start at around 25 SC.

You’ll need to win at least this amount before you can redeem them for prizes, so make sure you want to stick around and play that long before accepting a welcome bonus and pledging your allegiance to that casino.

Ohio Casino Apps vs Desktop

Ohio casino apps offer a similar experience to the one you’d get when playing on a desktop or laptop computer.

Play your favorite games on the go on a sweepstakes app – without lugging your laptop around with you.

The only downside is that most online casinos in Ohio don’t have a dedicated mobile app yet. In fact, only seven casinos offer in-app play.

The good news is that you can still play your favorite online casino games on the casino’s mobile site. Though it’s not quite the same as playing on an app, it’s as close of an experience as you’d get to playing on the desktop site.

This is because sweepstakes casino websites use HTML5, which optimizes sites for mobile phones.

If taking your gameplay wherever you go is important, you may want to consider playing at an Ohio mobile casino with an app – or at the very least, a well-optimized mobile site.

But if being totally immersed in your gameplay is the most important factor, you may find that playing on a laptop offers a better experience.

Sweepstakes casinos with dedicated apps include:

• Chumba Casino Lite (casino for fun)

• Funrize

• Funpointz

• High 5 Casino

• LuckyLand Slots

• McLuck Casino

• Pulsz Casino

Desktop/Laptop Gameplay Pros & Cons

Desktop/Laptop Pros:

• Gameplay is more immersive on a larger screen

• Seamless gameplay at any online casino in Ohio

• Access to all the games in the casino’s library

• Make purchases and redeem SC for cash prizes

Desktop/Laptop Cons:

• Can’t play on-the-go

Mobile App Gameplay Pros & Cons

Mobile App Pros:

• Similar experience to the laptop one

• On-the-go gameplay

• Easily check your SC and GC balance

• Keep a list of your favorite games in the palm of your hand

• Play most of the same games as you would on your laptop

Mobile App Cons:

• Only a few casinos offer dedicated mobile apps

• Apps aren’t always available for both operating systems

• Less immersive than desktop play

How To Download a Ohio Casino App for iPhone

Downloading a Casino app in Ohio for the iPhone is much easier than downloading one for Android phones.

If an Ohio gambling site offers a dedicated mobile app, you can download it directly from the Apple Store. Some online casinos also post a direct link to the app in the Apple Store on their websites.

To download a sweepstakes casino app, just follow these instructions:

1. Go to the Apple Store on your iPhone or other Apple device.

2. Search for the casino app you want to download.

3. Click “Get”.

4. Confirm your installation by double-clicking the power button.

5. Once the app has been downloaded, open it and sign into your account.

How To Download a Ohio Casino App for Android

Downloading an Ohio casino app for Android is a similar process to downloading one for the iPhone.

The only difference is that not all online casino apps are available in the Google Play Store and may need to be downloaded from the online casino website and sideloaded onto your Android.

As long as the app is available in the Google Play Store, just follow the steps to download it onto your Android:

1. Search for the name of the app in the Google Play Store.

2. Click “Install”

3. Log into your player account on the app.

4. Start playing your favorite casino games!

How Signup Offers Work at Ohio Online Casinos

Most online casinos in Ohio offer signup offers, in the form of no-deposit bonus and first purchase bonuses.

When you sign up for a new player account, you’ll get a welcome bonus that usually includes FREE Sweeps Coins and Free Gold Coins.

To claim these bonuses, you may need a promo code, or you may just need to use one of the “Claim Bonus” or similar type buttons to get to the online casino’s homepage.

The most common types of welcome bonuses at Ohio casinos online include no-deposit offers and first deposit matches.

No-Deposit Offers: With an Ohio online casino no deposit bonus, you don’t need to make a purchase to claim your bonus. Just sign up for a new player account, enter your bonus code, and claim your FREE Sweeps and Free Gold Coins.

First Purchase Offers: When you accept a first purchase offer, you’ll get a discount on Gold Coins and maybe even get a few bonus FREE Sweeps Coins.

How to Sign Up to a Ohio Sweepstakes Casino

The signup process at most Ohio online sweepstakes casinos is pretty similar across the board.

To sign up for a new player account and claim your welcome bonus, you just need to fill out a few online forms with your personal information, validate your email address or mobile phone number, and start playing.

Though the signup process will vary between casinos, here is what you can expect when you open a new player account:

1. Click the “Claim Offer” or “ Claim Bonus” button to get to the sweepstakes casino homepage.

2. Click the “Join Now” or “Sign Up”.

3. Fill out the required information, including your name, email address, mobile number, and mailing address.

4. Make sure all the information you fill out matches the information on your government ID.

5. Enter the bonus promo code, if applicable.

6. Verify your email address or mobile number.

7. Verify your identity (you may be able to do this later).

8. Claim your welcome bonus, and start playing!

Banking Options

The banking options at different Ohio casinos online vary, but you’ll find that most of the casinos accept major credit and debit cards, as well as Trustly Online banking.

Some even accept e-wallets, like Skrill and PayPal.

The full list of purchase options includes:

• VISA

• MasterCard

• AMEX

• Discover Card

• PayPal

• Skrill

• Trustly Banking

• Gift Cards

Gold Coins and FREE Sweeps Coins are usually made available for immediate use after making a purchase.

When it’s time to redeem your Free Sweeps Coins for prizes, redemption times vary, though it can take up to 10 business days.

Most online casinos in Ohio will credit your cash prizes to the same method you used to purchase Gold Coins.

You’ll need to win a minimum number of Free Sweeps Coins before you can redeem them for cash prizes, but most sweepstakes casinos in Ohio don’t charge a redemption fee.

Can You Earn VIP Rewards From a Ohio Online Casino?

Yes! When you sign up for a player account at an Ohio online casino, you’ll automatically be enrolled into that casino’s VIP rewards program – as long as the casino offers such a program.

With every bet you make, you’ll earn points to climb reward tiers. The higher you climb, the better rewards you can claim.

Common rewards might include:

• Free Sweeps Coins

• Free Gold Coins

• Access to elite games

• Free swag

• VIP concierge services

• Much more!

Casino Games

Casino games at Ohio online casinos are pretty similar to what you’d find on an Ohio casino floor.

Play your favorite casino games, like slots, table games, live dealer games, and more – for real money prizes.

Slots

Slots are the most popular game to play at online casinos in Ohio. This is partially thanks to their high return-to-player percentages (RTPs) and ease of understanding rules.

Special features, such as jackpots, progressive jackpots, wilds, free spin rounds, and cascading reels contribute to the popularity of video slots.

Some of the most popular slot games at Ohio online casinos include:

• Divine Fortune

• Wheel of Fortune

• Monopoly

• Big Bass Bonanza

• Gonzo’s Quest

• Starburst

Tables Games

Table games at online casinos in Ohio are played similarly to the ones played at land-based casinos. The only difference? Instead of playing against the house via a dealer, you’ll play against a computer.

Blackjack

Blackjack at online casinos is pretty similar to blackjack at a land-based casino. The only difference is you’ll play against a computer instead of a live dealer. Press “Play” to start the game. The dealer deals cards for themselves and for you. Press “Hold” or “Hit”. Whoever gets as close to 21 without going over wins.

Roulette

Roulette at an online casino in Ohio is pretty much the same as at a land-based casino. Place your bet on red or black or choose a number and corresponding color. The computer spins the wheel and if the ball lands on the tile that corresponds to your color and/or number, you win.

Baccarat

Baccarat is a popular game with 50/50 odds. Bet on the banker or the player's hand. The computer deals two cards for the player and two for the banker. Whichever hand adds up closest to nine wins.

Poker

To play Texas Hold’em table poker, enter the poker room and place your bets. The computer deals two cards.

If you choose to play, you’ll need to bet 2x your ante bet. The computer then deals three cards face-up that all the players will use to make their hands. If you want to continue to play, you’ll need to place a bet that’s equal to your ante bet. The computer deals another card face-up and then one more. Whoever has the best hand wins.

Video Poker

Video poker is a faster-paced version of classic poker. The regular poker rules apply, the biggest difference is that the game ends after each round. Some of the most popular versions of video poker include:

• Jacks or Better

• Deuces Wild

• 3-Card Poker

• Jackpot Poker

• Caribbean Poker

Bingo

Playing bingo online is similar to playing it in a bingo hall. Multiple players will enter a virtual bingo room and purchase cards before the next round begins. With online bingo, you don’t usually need to manually daub your cards – the system does it for you. The first person to get bingo wins.

Keno

Keno is a game that’s similar to playing the lottery. Choose between 1 and 10 numbers you hope will win and choose your bet amount. You can also have the system choose random numbers for you. After the bets are placed, the numbers are called. Whoever gets the most matches wins.

Live Dealer

Live dealer games were designed to mimic the land-based casino experience as closely as possible.

Common live dealer games at Ohio online casinos include:

• Roulette

• Baccarat

• Poker

• Blackjack

• Craps

• Teen Patti

• Game shows

To join a live dealer game, simply enter the virtual room. Place your bets before the next round begins. The dealer will speak to the camera, and you’ll find out your results in real-time.

Sometimes there are special rules or variations on the traditional table games in live dealer rooms, so check the rules page before playing.

What Are the Stakes at Sweepstakes Casinos in Ohio?

The stakes at Ohio sweepstakes casinos vary, but they’re not too dissimilar to the stakes you’d see at real-money casinos.

If you’re playing with Gold Coins, which you usually get in more abundance, you’ll find that the minimum bets are much higher than if you were to play with Free Sweeps Coins.

At High 5 Casino, the minimum bet you can place on the Pragmatic Play game Zeus Vs. Hades Gods of War is 10 GC or 1 SC. The maximum bet is 1,000 GC or 100 SC.

Ohio Gambling Sites vs. Land-Based Casinos

Online casinos in Ohio offer a similar experience to the one you’d get at a land-based casino. Obviously, you won’t be magically transported to a casino floor and get the “full experience at home”.

But the experience that online casinos have cultivated online will get you as close as possible to the brick-and-mortar one.

Just a few ways in which Ohio online casinos mimic the experience of a land-based casino include its games. There are also a few ways in which these sites offer an even better experience than the one you’d find on a casino floor.

Player Experience

You’re probably never going to be transported to a casino floor at an online casino. But these sites do a great job of mirroring the experience.

The games at online casinos closely match the ones you’d find at a land-based casino. Play slots, table games, live games, and video slots.

Since most slot machines are digital now, anyway, the experience you get online is pretty much the same as the one at the casino. The best part? You don’t need to wander around to find your favorite games – just type the name into the search bar.

Though there’s no way to make table games feel as immersive as in person, most card games come with jazzy soundtracks and ambient casino noise sound effects.

And if you never played a live dealer game at an online casino? Consider this your sign to try one.

These games are filmed in a sound studio that’s designed to look just like a casino floor. The dealer speaks to bettors just as they would in real life, and you can place bets in real-time.

Welcome Bonuses

Welcome bonuses are one area where online casinos trump their land-based counterparts.

Land-based casinos don’t offer welcome bonuses to new players simply because they don’t need to. Most casinos aren’t located near other casinos – each one is a destination in its own right.

At online casinos in Ohio, you can play at one and then switch to another. Nothing is stopping you from signing up for a competitor’s site.

These casinos offer generous welcome bonuses to get you to try out their platform. When was the last time you received free account funds just for trying out a land-based casino?

Payments/Withdrawals

At an online casino, there’s no need to visit the casino cage. Payments and withdrawals are much more streamlined and straightforward than at land-based casinos.

You can pay by credit card, debit card, Play+ Card, e-wallet, bank transfer, and more.

When it’s time to cash out your winnings or holdings, you’ll need to wait a little longer than you would at a casino cage. Instead of getting your funds right away, you’ll need to wait a few business days for them to reach your account.

Gameplay

The gameplay at online casinos pretty much mirrors that of their land-based counterparts.

Since a lot of games at casinos are digital now anyway – including slots and video poker – you won’t see much difference in the games you play online versus the ones at an Ohio casino.

VIP Programs

At a land-based casino, you need to sign up for the VIP/rewards program. At an online casino, membership is compulsory.

Just sign up for a player account – which you need to do to play online anyway – and you’ll automatically be enrolled in the casino’s VIP program.

All you need to do to earn points is play your favorite casino games and climb the VIP tiers.

Do I Have To Live in Ohio to Gamble Online?

No, you don’t need to live in Ohio to play at sweepstakes casinos. You can live in nearly any U.S. state except for Washington State, Michigan, Nevada, or Idaho. Some online casinos cannot legally operate in some other states, too.

How Do OH Gambling Sites Acquire My Location?

Ohio gambling sites may acquire your location in one of two ways: by accessing your device’s IP address or by requiring you to activate location services on your iPhone or Android.

To qualify for an account at an Ohio online casino, you’ll also need to provide personal information, such as your mailing address. This address will need to be in a state where the sweepstakes casino is legally allowed to operate.

Before you can redeem your Sweeps Coins for prizes, you’ll also need to verify your identity by submitting a photo of your government ID. The address on your ID must match the address on your player account.

Do You Always Need to Download GeoComply Software?

You shouldn’t need to download GeoComply software to play at online casinos in Ohio since all the casinos available in the state are sweepstakes casinos.

Sweepstakes casinos track your location through your device’s location services and your IP address.

How Old Do I Need To Be to Gamble in OH?

In Ohio, you must be at least 18 years old to play at most online casinos. Some online casinos, such as Stake.us, require you to be at least 21 years old to play.

Responsible Gaming In Ohio

Ohio gambling sites are required to offer information about player safety, as well as player safety tools, such as self-exclusion options.

Most Ohio online casinos offer at least a few of the following player safety options:

• Play-time reminders

• Purchase limits

• Self-exclusion

• Cool-off or “break-in-play” options

With a “break in play”, you can set a break for a certain amount of time. Break-in-play options usually include one day, one week, or one month.

If none of these options are available at an online casino, you can always request an account closure.

Key Ohio Online Casino Laws and Tax Information

You must pay taxes on any online casino winnings in Ohio – and you may be responsible for paying these taxes on your own, on your annual tax return.

Taxes at a rate of 24% are automatically withheld by the online casino on winnings over $5,000.

In this case, you’ll receive the tax form W2-G, also known as the "Certain Gambling Winnings" form.

But you must also declare your winnings on your state and federal income tax returns.

If you win less than $5,000, you’re responsible for claiming your winnings on your annual tax return on your own. If you fail to report your winnings, you may need to pay a higher percentage tax rate.