COLUMBUS, Ohio — With sports betting now in its third month of being legal in Ohio, the Ohio Casino Control Commission is continuing to hash out what events can be wagered on in the Buckeye State.
That includes the 2023 NFL Draft, which the commission has now approved for specific prop bets in which bettors can wager on which round specific players will be selected in.
While Ohio's approved prop bets are broad -- other states allow more specific bets, including the exact pick a player is selected with, the first player selected at specific positions and how many players at a position -- they mark the first NFL Draft-related wagers to be approved in the Buckeye State. In order for more specific wagers to become legalized in Ohio, they would have to be approved by the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
In addition to the 2023 NFL Draft -- which is set to run from April 27-29 -- the Ohio Casino Control Commission previously approved betting markets for the NBA Draft and NHL Draft. Such approved prop bets include:
- NBA Draft: Number X Pick (Except for the 1st and 2nd Overall Picks)
- NBA Draft: Player X vs Player Y - Draft Position (or more than two players and comparable draft positions)
- NHL Draft: Number X Pick or in the First X number of Picks (Except for the 1st and 2nd Overall Picks)
- NHL Draft: Number of Specified Position Players Selected in the Draft
- NHL Draft: Team to draft "Player's Name" (Except for teams holding the 1st or 2nd Overall Picks)
Last month, the Ohio Casino Control Commission reported that Ohioans placed more than $1,113,251,403 in wagers, resulting in $208.9 million in revenue for providers during January 2023, the first month in which sports betting was legal in the Buckeye State. That marked the second-highest total of sports betting wagers placed in a state during the same period, trailing only New York.