CLEVELAND — Ohio recorded more betting transactions than any other state in the first 24 hours after sports betting become legal Jan. 1, according to GeoComply.com, a geolocation and anti-fraud company for the gaming industry. The company reported 11.3 million transactions between midnight Jan. 1 and 11:59 p.m. Jan. 2. 

What You Need To Know

  • More than 11 million bets were placed in first two days of legal sports betting in Ohio

  • Ohio had more bets than other regulated markets, per a company that tracks betting transactions

  • The Ohio Casino Control Commission already issued violations

The most bets occurred in the Cincinnati area, with 1.9 million, followed by the Columbus area, with 1.03 million. 

Jessica Franks, with the Casino Control Commission of Ohio, said they were prepared to hit the ground running when sports betting became legal. 

“We managed to process roughly 4,000 license applications in the six months prior to the launch of sports gaming, so obviously it’s an industry that a number of people really wanted to be a part of,” she said.

She explained that there have been issues with some of the sports betting operators since it became legal less than a week ago.

“Numerous operators (were cited) for violating our rules pertaining to advertising and promotions,” she said.

The operators that received violations were DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars. Franks said they were violating some of the sports gaming rules. 

“Making sure that responsible gambling messaging is present on all advertisements and so these companies were all notified that their advertisements did not meet those standards,” she said.

The Ohio Problem Gambling Hotline is (800) 589-9966.