1. Online Poker Real Money Ohio
2. Online Poker For Real Money In Ohio
3. Is It Legal To Play Online Poker In Ohio
4. River Room Poker Akron Ohio
5. Ohio Poker Rooms

We pride ourselves on putting our players’ safety and security first. To ensure realistic game-play, top-ups are limited to 15,000 chips every 4 hours. If you’re new to online poker. PLAY ONLINE POKER FOR REAL MONEY. Poker online is growing in the United States with Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware all part of the same player pool. You can play with us from your desktop, iOS. Online Poker America. Gambling in Ohio: A Full Breakdown. Online Poker America. Ohio is currently a well respected land-based gambling state with a large range of different legal gambling options for.

Ohioans now have some of the richest variety of land-based poker options in the US, but thousands and thousands of poker players from Ohio are still choosing to play their poker online. It’s fast, it’s easy and it beats a drive through traffic and a multi-hour wait list at the casino poker room.

Despite the popularity of the game, a number of potential online poker players in Ohio still have questions about playing poker for real money online, and it’s our goal with this Guide to Ohio Online Poker to answer those questions – and provide a richer picture of poker in Ohio along the way.

Online Poker Real Money Ohio

Most Recent Online Poker Happenings in Ohio

There has been no talk of legalizing online poker in Ohio.

Oddly enough, many of Ohio’s neighboring states have either proposed bills or officially legalized online poker and casino games. Pennsylvania legalized online gaming in 2017 and launched its first poker and casino sites in 2019. West Virginia legalized online gaming in 2019 and plans to launch sites by 2021. Kentucky and Michigan have both discussed online poker in their respective legislatures.

Ohio, on the other hand, has yet to propose it.

Land-based casinos have been legal since 2012, and daily fantasy sports was legalized in 2017.

The Ohio Lottery is in the process of constructing a proposal to officially put its lottery ticket offerings online. And many lawmakers want legal sports betting, though it is likely to be in brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and not online.

There have been several sports betting bills introduced to the legislature in the past year. One would put the Ohio Lottery Commission in control of the industry and give oversight to the Ohio Casino Commission, but the other would give all control to the Ohio Casino Commission. Even Governor Mike DeWine is supportive of sports betting in general, but the delay seems to be with the agency that would control it.

The Basics of Online Poker and Ohio

You like the action of poker, but you hate the drudgery of getting to the casino. Now you’re ready to try online poker, but searching for Ohio-friendly poker sites just returns a bunch of noise and third-rate websites – until you find our guide. It’s updated. It’s objective. It’s built on the observations of several actual online poker players, players who want the same things out of an online poker room that you do.

Based on those observations and that experience, we’ve built this list of the top Ohio online poker sites for real money.

Can Players From Ohio Play Poker?

If you’re residing in Ohio and hoping to play real-money online poker, you’re in luck. There are several sites that accept players from Ohio.

Whether you start with a site from our list of the top Ohio online poker rooms above or choose one of the other options for Ohioans, you’ll be looking at a simple process that will have you battling it out with other players from around the world in under an hour.

Online Poker For Real Money In Ohio

All Poker and Gambling Laws by State

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Is Playing Online Poker Legal in Ohio?

We’re not lawyers, nor are we qualified to offer legal advice. Our solitary goal with this section is to communicate the absolute basics of Ohio gambling law and to encourage you to then review the Ohio statutes yourself (online version can be found below).

After doing so, you’ll realize what many others have already learned: Ohio gambling law is complicated and involves a good deal of information beyond the statutes to fully comprehend. That’s why we always encourage players with questions about the legality of online poker to consult with a lawyer for authoritative answers.
Let’s walk through some of the basic points of Ohio gambling law:

Unlike most states, Ohio does not offer a formal definition of gambling. Instead, we can arrive at their working definition by looking at the misdemeanor charge of gambling (Section 2915.02), which covers bookmaking, promoting games of chance, exchanging information that facilitates bookmaking or games of chance and engaging in “any scheme or game of chance as a substantial source of income or livelihood” (Section 2915.02(4)).

That last part is important. Ohio law is specifically constructed to dole out heavier punishments to those who gamble for a living. Note that taking part in an illegal poker game would not necessarily be illegal in and of itself; players must draw a “substantial source of income” from the activity to trigger the charge detailed above.

Players who don’t meet that standard could still face some criminal exposure under Ohio law, but it’s a bit of a longshot. For example, Section 2915.04 makes it a crime (misdemeanor) to play games of chance in public places like resorts and halls.

On to “games of chance,” which are defined very specifically under Ohio law:

“Poker, craps, roulette, or other game in which a player gives anything of value in the hope of gain, the outcome of which is determined largely by chance, but does not include bingo” (Section 2915.01(D)).

Famous Ohio Poker Players

There are some live poker rooms in Ohio, namely in Toledo, Columbus, and Northfield. There are few large live tournament series that play in those casinos, but the poker rooms do provide a breeding ground for new players.

Many players in Ohio also got their start playing online poker. David Peters is one of them, who is now a high-stakes live poker player who is the sixth winningest player in the world with more than $33.4 million in live winnings.

Byron Kaverman certainly got his start in poker in home games with friends and in the poker rooms in Ohio, and he has gone on to win more than $15 million in his career. He spent years honing his game online and was one of the launching pads for him and many others in his generation of players.

David “Chip” Reese hailed from Ohio. His live poker winnings totaled nearly $4 million before his untimely death in 2007. He is one of the most respected players in the game’s history, known mostly for his fierce cash game play.

As of 2021, the top-ranked live poker players in Ohio history were listed as:

1. David Peters ($33.4 million)
2. Byron Kaverman ($15.1 million)
3. Keven Stammen ($6.1 million)
4. Jacob Bazeley ($4.5 million)
5. David Reese ($4 million)
6. Joe Ebanks ($3.3 million)
7. Adam Friedman ($3.1 million)
8. Shawn Cunix ($2.3 million)
9. Joseph Couden ($2.3 million)
10. Samuel Phillips ($2.2 million)

Ohio Gambling Overview

List of Regulated Gambling Options in Ohio

The sole major form of regulated gambling not on the menu in Ohio is tribal gambling. Otherwise, you can run the gamut in the state – play the lottery, get in a few pari-mutuel bets on races, engage in any of the multiple forms of charitable gambling that get the official state nod or spend a night at Ohio’s brand-spanking new commercial casinos.

List of Regulated Online Gambling Options in Ohio

While Ohio has a bountiful assortment of regulated land-based gambling, the state offers exactly zero regulated online gambling options. This doesn’t necessarily disqualify all forms of online betting from existing legally in Ohio – it just means there’s no such thing as an online poker room or casino licensed or regulated by the state.

Sources & Citations For This Article on Ohio Online Poker

It is only in the last 5 years that poker action has really taken off in Ohio. The enactment of a law licensing State casinos has seen poker card rooms spring up in several major cities – offering a great range of games and tournaments to residents here. The social poker scene in Ohio is more complex, with both bar and charity poker games not legal. Home games are carved out, as long as nobody is making a profit from running the games.

Recommended Ohio Poker Site

This page gives Ohio poker fans an overview of all the ways that the game can (and can’t) be played in this State. First up, the live poker venues at the brand new State casinos are looked at. After that you will find a run-down on the social side of poker gaming – followed by a look into the world of online poker games. Towards the bottom of this page you will find information and discussion on the Iowa Statutes – then at the very end a high level overview of the current poker situation here.

Ohio Live Poker Games

While Ohio were late to the scene when it comes to licensing casinos, they have made up for it with some quality venues. These are spread through the major cities, covering Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland. There are some big poker rooms, with up to 40 tables available. The size and popularity of these rooms is already starting to attract many of the bigger tournament tours – though there is plenty of tournament action in the regular weekly schedules. Cash games can be found in plenty of poker variations and several different buy-in levels too.

There are several alternate live poker rooms across State borders, with Michigan and Pennsylvania both offering a lot of options.

Are Home Games Legal In Ohio?

Social home games are legal in Ohio, the usual rule that nobody can make a profit from the running or hosting of the game does apply. This means no rake or entry fees – you could still regularly beat the game!

Bar leagues are a bit of a grey area under the law here. Many leagues were banned, though some still advertise. The opinion of the government is that these games are not carved-out and so are covered by the broad gambling laws. When there are no buy-ins, the legal situation becomes a little less clear! If you do play in a bar league in Ohio, please be aware that you are doing this at your own risk.

Charity poker nights are defined far more clearly under the law – these are illegal. There are other ways charities can use gambling games to raise money including Bingo and raffles.

Online Poker Games In Ohio

Online poker is believed to be illegal here under the pre-internet definitions of illegal gambling on the Statutes. This has never been tested in a court room, so no legal precedents exist to back this opinion up. There have been recent issues with ‘Internet Sweepstakes Cafes’, which are under investigation. Online poker fans will be hoping that no law banning these also includes online poker games – in Florida a similar situation led to gambling on any computing devices being made illegal.

The main offshore sites still accepting US players from their Caribbean Island havens, do welcome players from Ohio. These sites are legal in their own mini-countries. Thousands of Americans safely enjoy the games at these sites every day – though you should be aware that playing is entirely at your own financial and legal risk.

Is It Legal To Play Online Poker In Ohio

What Do The Ohio Gambling Statutes Say?

Some States criminalize the ‘bet’ and others target ‘games of chance’ – Ohio makes extra sure that they have illegal gambling covered by using both definitions in their law books. Poker is specified within a list of games under the game of chance section. This would make the ‘skill game’ line of argument very difficult in this State.

Here are the key definitions, firstly the ‘bet’ ad after that the games of chance. These come from section 2915, 01 in the Ohio codes:

…the hazarding of anything of value upon the result of an event, undertaking, or contingency, but does not include a bona fide business risk…

… poker, craps, roulette, or other game in which a player gives anything of value in the hope of gain, the outcome of which is determined largely by chance, but does not include bingo…

River Room Poker Akron Ohio

Ohio Poker – Summing It Up

With the recent opening of major State licensed casinos in the major cities – Ohio has become a genuine gambling and poker destination. Add to this the legal home games and you get the picture of what can only be described as a poker-friendly State.

Ohio Poker Rooms

Ohio look to be progressive enough in their attitude towards gambling that a future bill regulating online gambling sites could be a possibility.