Best Ohio Sports Betting Promo Codes: Top Bonus Offers Of Jun 2022

Ohio online sports betting is set to go live and top operators are constantly offering special deals to their new or existing customers in the form of bonuses and promotional codes. New customers will find these specials range from “free bets” to “deposit match” to “Refer a Friend.” We have you covered with the top Ohio sportsbook promo codes available.

These Ohio sports betting promos and bonuses can help bettors ease the pain of losses, increase rewards, and even change the odds set by the sportsbook. There are so many ways to take advantage of bonuses, Bookies.com has dedicated an entire article to it!

We've surveyed the landscape and found the best promo and welcome bonus codes for Ohio sports betting for when it launches on Jan. 1, 2023. After reading our comprehensive guide, Ohio bettors will be ready to take full advantage of online sports betting and the best Ohio sportsbook promo codes.

Top Online Ohio Sportsbook Promo Codes and Bonus Codes

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), per the legislation signed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, recently announced that Ohio sports betting will launch on Jan. 1, 2023. As of now, while Ohio sports betting is still in the works, we do not have definitive information on exactly which bonus and promo codes will be issued once these platforms go live for sports betting in Ohio. What we will cover here is the range of Ohio sportsbook promo codes and bonuses available nationally from vendors expected to be licensed in the state.

NOTE: Ohio sports betting isn't live yet. It will launch on Jan. 1, 2023. Below are the expected offers, but these are not available until Ohio sports betting launches. Moreover, these offers are subject to change at the operator's discretion.

FanDuel Ohio Bonus Codes

First Bet Risk-Free up to $1,000

The FanDuel Ohio bonus code could potentially offer new online sportsbook customers a risk-free bet of up to $1,000 as their welcome bonus (no actual promo code is needed). After joining FanDuel Ohio, customers deposit and place their first bet to automatically qualify for this bet insurance. Bets must be placed using real money (not site credits), and must be placed within the promotional period on any betting markets and most bet types. If the first bet loses, the player receives one free bet up to $1,000; the value of their original bet up to the max of $1,000, whatever is lower. The risk-free bet credit expires after 14 days, original wagers settled with early cash out are not eligible.

Refer-A-Friend - Give $50, Get $50

Customers can refer a friend and receive up to $50 in site credit. Using an exclusive URL, send the invitation to a friend and if they meet the minimum requirements, the customer receives $50 site credits.

Minimum requirements are a deposit of $10 and a first-time real-money wager of $10 or more. Qualifying wagers must be placed and settled within 28 days of registration.

DraftKings Ohio Promo Codes

New Users: 20% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000

The DraftKings Ohio promo code will likely offer new customers a 20% deposit up to $1,000 on their initial deposit. The bonus is equal to 20% of the first bonus amount, so players will need to deposit at least $5,000 to be eligible for the full amount. The wagering requirement is 25:1; for every $25 wagered, the player will receive $1 in site credit (more on this later). Wagers must have minimum odds of -300 and the site credits carry a 90-day expiration. It's important to note that there isn't an actual DraftKings Ohio promo code to enter.

Refer a Friend: up to $100 Free Bet

Referring friends can net Ohio bettors up to $100 in free bets. This promotion is for new DraftKings accounts only; not just new online sportsbook users. A personalized URL must be utilized to get credit and the deposit requirement is $25 minimum. To qualify for the full amount, the player and referral must both deposit $100 each. Limit of five referrals and the free bet credit carries a 7-day expiration.

Caesars Ohio Promo Codes

Risk-Free Bet Up to $1,500

When Caesars Sportsbook Ohio launches, new users will likely get a risk-free bet up to $1,500 via the promo code BOOKIES15, as long as they make a qualifying wager within 30 days of opening an account. If your first bet loses, you'll be credited with a free bet in that amount (up to $1,500) in two business days. You'll have 14 days to use the free bet, which cannot be withdrawn for cash and will not be included with any winnings from said bet.

This is one of the best welcome offers in the industry and the best thing about Caesars Sportsbook is their offers change every few months. Prior to this, Caesars offered first-bet insurance up to $1,100. Be sure to check back with Bookies.com for updates on the Caesars Sportsbook Ohio promo code.

BetMGM Ohio Bonus Codes

Risk-free first bet up to $1,000

The BetMGM Ohio bonus code BOOKIES is expected to offer new Ohio sports betting customers a risk-free bet of up to $1,000. Welcome bonus enrollment is automatic upon registration and first deposit. Players will make their first bet and if the bet loses, they will receive the amount of the original wager back in free bets. Bets are paid in denominations of 20% of the original stake (less than $50 is paid out as a single free-bet token). Free bets carry a seven-day expiration.

Refer a Friend - $50 Cash Bonus

When looking at Ohio sportsbook bonus codes, BetMGM Sportsbook Ohio stands out as an exemplary option. BetMGM is offering something a little different (more below), a $50 cash bonus for referring a friend. Customers will use a personalized URL to invite a friend. The recipient must make a minimum $50 deposit within 30 days of registration. The wagering requirement is 1:1 for the deposit match on a market of -200 or greater odds. Site credit from this bonus code carries a 30-day expiration.

$25 Parlay Insurance

Players losing a parlay may qualify to get $25 back in site credits. To qualify, players must place a 4-leg parlay bet with minimum -250 odds and must opt-in to the offer. If one, and only one, of the four legs of the parlay loses, the player will receive $25 in site credits (unless the original stake is lower, in which case, it would be that amount). Same-game parlays and odds boosts are not eligible. Real-money bets only. No expiration published.

Barstool Ohio Promo Codes

New Players - $1,000 Free Bet

The Barstool Ohio promo code is likely to offer new players a $1,000 free bet, a form of bet insurance. To be eligible, players will need to make a cash deposit and then place a single wager on either a straight bet or parlay.

If that first bet fails, the sportsbook will refund the player the amount of the original bet up to $1,000. Early cash-outs, pushes and bets placed with site credits are not eligible. No opt-in is required; minimum odds -200, bonus carries a 30-day expiration.

Sign Up Bonus - $10 Cash

New players who register at Barstool Ohio Sportsbook are also likely to receive a $10 cash sign-up bonus automatically with no deposit and no opt-in required. The $10 is not eligible for withdrawal and must be utilized on the site. Bets placed with the $10 bonus cash must carry a -200 minimum odds and the wagering requirement ratio is 1:1 (more on this later). Cash bonus carries a 30-day expiration.

Bet365 Ohio Promo Codes

New Customers - Bet $1 & Get $200 in Free Bets

The Bet365 Ohio promo code, should the sportsbook launch in Ohio, at Bet365 earns $200 in free bets on $1 wagered. Players must claim the promotion by wagering their first bet within 30 days of registration on a market with minimum odds of -500. Early cash-outs and push results do not qualify.

Once your first wager is placed, Bet365 will deposit $200 of site credits in your account that carries an expiration of 90 days. To utilize bet credits at Bet365, players will need to select “Use Free Bet Credits” on their bet slip. Bet365 offers one of the top Ohio sportsbook promo codes in the state, and you can take advantage.

Bonus/Promo Code Types

Competition for customers is fierce, and the sports betting industry vendors know the more features they can offer, the better. Customers will naturally gravitate to good deals, but not all bonus and promo codes are created equal.

Here are some o the types of bonuses and promos found online in other states that Bookies fully expects to be available in an Ohio sportsbook. As always, players are advised to read all of the terms and conditions as there are typically hidden details that can catch one by surprise.

Risk-Free Bets

The risk-free bet bonus is the book’s way of offering bet insurance on your initial wager, and an extremely popular welcome bonus. When you place a bet and lose with this bet insurance, the book will match the amount of your original stake (amount wagered) in the form of site credit. This type of ongoing sportsbook promo tends to be the most popular welcome bonus among the online sportsbook community.

Typically, these site credits must be used within a certain time period and are never redeemable for cash. The customer must wager them, win the wager, receive the profit, and that money is available to be withdrawn.

The value of any free bet will never be included in any winnings. For example, a $50 bet on an event with +2,000 odds would normally return $1,050 if the bet won ($1,000 winnings, plus the value of the original wager, $50).

If the same wager was placed using a $50 Free Bet (site credit), the amount returned would be $1,000 (just the winnings, not the value of the bet). Any wager placed using a Free Bet that results in a loss or a push will not return any amount of credit to the patron, not even the site credit.

Deposit Bonuses

This type of bonus is usually applicable to new customers on their very first deposit of real money to their account. The book will qualify a portion of the customer’s deposit toward the bonus and then up to a maximum amount. DraftKings Ohio will likely run this promotion consistently and use a 20% marker to qualify the deposit (as it does in other states).

Bettors can make their initial deposits through any of the platform's deposit methods, banking methods like:

• Online bank transfer
• Visa/Mastercard
• PayPal
• Gift cards

DraftKings, in other states, runs its deposit matches this way: The 20% is awarded on a “play through” model, meaning that if the player deposits $5,000, then they are eligible for up to $1,000 in deposit bonus.

To receive the bonus, the player must wager $25 to receive $1 in deposit matching credits, thus the 25/1 wagering requirement ratio. In essence, the player must deposit $5,000, then wager $25,000 to receive their full $1,000 bonus match.

This bonus type is good for the volume player, with experience in the sports betting industry, who will be wagering consistently on a lot of games, otherwise, they will likely never see anywhere close to the full amount of the eligible bonus.

No Deposit Bonus

The “No-Deposit” bonus works similarly to the deposit bonus above except the book does not require the player to actually make a cash deposit into their account. The site credits, or bonus amount, are awarded on the play-through. The site credits are never available for cash withdrawal, but winnings from those wagered credits are immediately available.

As compared to the deposit bonus above, this one is a little better because the customer is not required to make a deposit, but the amount of the bonuses is extremely low. Barstool online sportsbook is offering this type of bonus in the amount of $10 just for signing up.

The wagering requirement ratio here is 1/1, meaning that all the player needs to do is wager $10 on a market and if they win, the $10 bonus is credited to the account as eligible cash for withdrawal, along with the bet’s winnings.

Reload Bonuses

Reload bonuses, as the name would indicate, are applied when a customer makes additional deposits to their account. They may be offered only in emails to the user or in special circumstances but are rarely seen on the “promotions” page of sports betting apps.

The reload bonus from that point works just like the Deposit Match bonus in that it matches a percentage of the deposit amount in the form of site credits, and then must be wagered to be affected. Again, sports betting enthusiasts who will be doing a volume amount of betting on the site will benefit the most from this type of bonus due to the play-through requirement(s).

Odds Boosts

These are offered by select bookmakers and not across the board, so you might have to seek them out. When applied to a wager, they increase the odds for a game in the player’s favor, thereby increasing the payout potential. Odds boosts can only be applied at the time the bet is made; they cannot be applied retroactively.

Players with a keen eye toward odds and wanting to move them in a direction just a couple of points may take advantage. 

This is similar to the old-school “teaser” in which the player will pay a little more “juice” to move the line in a direction that suits them better. Odds boosts, unless applied free of charge, are really for the advanced bettor and not the novice. Players betting MLB in volume may be able to help their cause by boosting the odds of a baseball game over the course of the season.

Referrals

Do you have friends? Even one? Great, you might be able to snag a bonus. Every major sportsbook in the industry right now is offering ongoing promotions like referral bonuses; “Refer a Friend.”

The way this works is every player has a Referral URL code in their account (links are provided easily); send this link to your buddy and if they use your URL to sign up, make a deposit and place a bet, you can get a site credit; often up to $200. These are popular welcome bonuses.

The better news is that your buddy usually gets the same site credit for being referred by you. Why would online sports betting operators do this? Easy, they are being competitive, and you are their best advertising.

DraftKings limits the number of referrals to five, but some online Ohio sports betting operators do not put a limit on them at all. BetMGM requires a $50 play-through, but once their wagering requirement is completed, the $50 is cash, not a site credit. While the BetMGM bonus requires a higher play-through, the $50 cash bonus is significantly better than the $25 site credit offered by DraftKings.

Online Casino Promotions

Because nearly every Ohio sportsbook will have an online casino attached as part of their business, players are extremely like to see the same types of bonuses for the online casinos as they do with the sportsbook. These bonuses are an effort to keep sports bettors playing who are already users on the site. Online Casino promotions, unlike the online sportsbook promotions, will have tight time limits on them. e.g. “Expires Today,” or “Expires Tomorrow.”

What Sports Can You Use Betting Bonuses On

Bonuses are mostly generic, meaning you can use them on any sport you like, but there are often sport-specific bonuses depending on the season. These bonuses can only be applied to their matched sport. The most popular of the major professional sports to bet on in the U.S. is the NFL, so let’s start there.

NFL Bonuses

When NFL season rolls around, the online bookmakers ramp up their offerings significantly. Bonus and promo codes that may be rare in the spring and summer become plentiful in the fall as the platforms compete to attract new customers and drive wagering with the coming season. The NFL season will bring massive Ohio sportsbook promo codes to the table. 

The Ohio Casino Control Commission recently announced that Ohio sports betting will be up and running by January 1, 2023; this is the universal start date, so Ohioans will have to keep tabs on which sports betting operators are given regulatory approval. Once sportsbooks do launch, however, look out! The NFL is not a volume betting enterprise like MLB and NBA, so grabbing risk-free wagers, parlay bonuses, or odds boosts with those bigger wagers can be fruitful.

NBA Bonuses

The NBA, like baseball, is a volume-betting sport, but unlike baseball, it has many more prop bets and with features like points betting (PointsBet), players can gain a lot of excitement around betting on the NBA. Sportsbooks love offering different bet types on the NBA. Players will see things like Same-Game Parlay bonuses, free bets on three-pointers made, etc. While not as large of a market as the NFL, NBA Ohio sports betting promo codes are going to be released all season long, as well as the playoffs. 

In the spring of 2022, both DraftKings and FanDuel were offering free bets (no deposit bonuses) for players wagering any amount on a player to make a 3-point field goal. Live betting will be a big feature for the NBA bettor. When betting platforms go live in Ohio, sports fans in the Buckeye State will be primed for exciting NBA betting with outstanding options for bonuses and promotions.

MLB Bonuses 

Baseball is, by far, the most volume-based betting sport in the world with over 2,500 regular-season games plus the playoffs. Players who place bets on baseball regularly are wise to utilize all of the bonuses made available. Betting on that many games will make bettors eligible for almost any bonus type and they can, in turn, take full advantage of the generosity of the books. Caesars ran some pretty interesting baseball related promos in the spring and summer, so be sure to look for those to be available for the 2023 season as well. 

NHL Bonuses 

When the 2022 NHL season was winding down, DraftKings Ohio sportsbook offered “Risk-Free” Same Game Parlays where players can get up to $10 back on a lost parlay bet. FanDuel Ohio offered $20 in free bets based on a $50 parlay wager. BetMGM Ohio offered a $25 “get your stake back” promotion.

These types of promos are typical for the NHL markets because of the heavy viewership of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (especially in Canada). Also, because the NHL (like the NBA and MLB) is based in both the US and Canada, players will have to be cognizant of any restrictions between the two countries on wagering limits, etc. Expect top NHL Ohio sportsbook promo codes for the '23 NHL season.

College Sports

Betting on collegiate sports in Ohio is legal, but as in other states, placing wagers on individual players with prop bets is not. Customers can bet the Ohio State University Buckeyes to beat Michigan, but they would not be able to place a prop bet on CJ Stroud throwing five touchdowns.

Futures bets will be featured as well, but for awards like the Heisman Trophy. Ohio bookmakers do offer bonuses and promos on college football and college basketball, but rarely offer bonuses on other college sports such as baseball, softball, or hockey

How To Use A Promo Code With A Ohio Sportsbook

Depending on the site, a player may have to issue a code to take advantage of the promotion, may have to “opt-in,” or the bonus may be automatically applied based on a qualifying bet. In the case of referrals, there are a lot more requirements that have been mentioned above.

New Ohio sportsbook customer bonuses are most often issued with a code, especially with regard to deposit matching. Rewards bonuses, such as those with Caesars Rewards are automatically applied to customers who are enrolled in the rewards program.

Why Do Ohio Sports Betting Operators Offer Promo Codes?

Ohio sports betting operators know there are many options for your business and just like any vendor, they have to offer good “deals” to the customer to attract and keep them. Stores offer coupons and rewards, so why shouldn’t an Ohio sportsbook?

Welcome bonuses and promotions are not for the player’s benefit, and that is a key fact they need to understand. Nearly every bonus a player will see has the same two requirements:

• Bonus amounts are paid in site credits (are not redeemable for cash)
• Bonus amounts have a play-through requirement or they are forfeited

Not all bonuses work this way, but the vast majority do and players are wise to know this is by design and that intention is to keep them betting. In the case of DraftKings’ deposit match, a player would need to wager $25,000 to receive their entire $1,000 bonus.

There are a couple of sportsbooks that are breaking the mold, however. PointsBet has a “No Rollover Requirements” feature that makes redeeming winnings easy, just win. BetMGM is offering a $50 cash bonus that is not a site credit, it is actual available money for the customer.

Promo Code Terminology

As a responsible bettor, you want to make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions of the bonus code you just applied, but there is language in there that is not quite clear. Bookies.com is here for you. Below we have listed some of the more common terms used by sportsbooks in promo code details and will be used for Ohio sports betting as well.

Each type of promo code will have specific restrictions applied, so sports bettors will need to understand these requirements and terms clearly to make sure they are not caught “off guard.”

Wagering Requirements

What some in the industry call “play-through requirement” is a wagering requirement, so these terms are utilized interchangeably. This is the amount or number of times a site credit must be wagered before a bonus is released into your account. In our example above from the DraftKings deposit match bonus; the 25/1 redemption ratio is the wagering requirement.

That means for every $25 wagered, $1 of bonus cash will be released into your account. That is on the higher end, however, and there are many sportsbooks that have just a 1x requirement The other way a wagering requirement works is to qualify for a bonus. FanDuel is offering a $20 free bets bonus for NHL Playoff parlays. The player must wager $50+ in same game parlays in order to qualify for the bonus.

Minimum Deposit

For deposit match and reload bonuses, books will often put a minimum amount of deposit on the qualification side of the promotion. BetMGM offers a risk-free bet up to $1,000. The qualifying minimum deposit is $10, so the customer must deposit at least $10 to qualify for the deposit bonus.

Minimum Odds

Some bonuses require a player to make a wager on a market that has a minimum odds rating. This happens often with their “build your own bet” bonuses. One online sportsbook, WynnBET, has an offer of a $20 free bet for any win, lose, or push on a Build Your Own Bet parlay. The bet requires an odds rating of +400. If you are new to reading odds and understanding them, this is a fairly bad bet. Underdogs of +400 have almost no chance of winning and neither does this requirement.

For example, in a single game, the highest odds in the MLB season are likely to be in the +340 range (e.g. Dodgers vs Pirates in LA with Clayton Kershaw on the mound), that is a long-shot bet. A 3-team parlay at +400 is an equally difficult long shot, not great competitive odds.

If there is a minimum odds requirement on the bonus that is on the positive side, it likely is very high and players are advised to avoid them and look for bets that allow for more competitive odds.

Expiration

When you receive site credits from a bonus, they don’t last forever. In our example above from WynnBET, the site credits are only valid for 10 days, after which they expire and are pulled from the player’s account.

Bonuses and site credits are designed to keep players playing; setting an expiration on awards demands a player continue to be engaged and wagering on the platform. Players who use multiple sportsbooks or platforms may lose track of their rewards, so if that is you, then create a system for staying on top of what rewards you have and when they expire.

Cash Out

When a customer would like to move their money from their account at the sportsbook to their account at the bank, that’s a “cash out.” This can happen with any of the online sportsbook's banking methods including online bank transfers.

In this article, we have used the term “site credits” a great deal, and here is how that relates to a cash out: Credits are not cash. Credits show up in your sportsbook account as “money,” but they are not eligible to be cashed. They can be used to generate cash, however, in the form of profit from bets won.

For example, let’s say you have a $10 free bet showing in your account and you want to use it to place a bet on the Cincinnati Bengals (+200) vs. Rams. You place the bet on the moneyline and the Cincinnati Bengals win. Congratulations, you’ve won $20 on the bet as profit. That $20 will go into your account as eligible cash. Normally, you would have gotten a payout of $30 ($20 plus your original state $10), but with the site credit used as a stake, the book keeps that amount, and you get the profit.

Real-Money Wager

Nearly every bonus is going to include the term "real money wager." Players need to understand clearly this means they must use their actual money, and not site credits, to place a qualifying bet. This is less important for new customers as most of them will not have site credits yet, but experienced players must keep track of what type of wager they are making so they are explicitly qualified for the bonus.

Get Started Online Sports Betting With Promo Codes

When sports betting in Ohio goes live on Jan. 1, 2023, players will have ample bonuses and promotions from which to choose. Players are encouraged to “shop around” for the best sports betting apps to suit their preferences and betting style. Check out our sportsbook reviews here at Bookies.com for all the inside information on sports betting, especially if you are new to the game. Our articles will help you take advantage of every possible angle when it comes to online sports betting!