Ohio sports betting launched on Jan. 1, 2023, and the Buckeye State found itself on top of the U.S. sports betting market.

Nobody foresaw just how successful the Ohio sports betting launch would be for the New Year’s holiday weekend, as GeoComply, a geolocation and fraud specialist company, reported Ohio saw 11.3 million geolocation transactions from Jan. 1 to Jan. 2, the most in the country.

Ohio top of the market

The geolocation transactions vaulted the state up to the top of the sports betting market this past weekend, surpassing New York’s 9.3 million and Pennsylvania’s 8.2 million geolocation transactions, according to a GeoComply press release.

“We are thrilled to welcome another state into the regulated online sports betting sector. As expected, residents of the Buckeye State enthusiastically greeted the market at the moment the calendar changed over to 2023,” GeoComply SVP of Compliance Lindsay Slader said.

Ohio’s launch kicked off at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1 with 784,000 unique accounts registering for action and 234,000 geolocation transactions reported during the first hour on New Year’s Day.

Cincinnati proved to be the busiest city in the state, recording 1.89 million geolocation transactions over the weekend. Here are the top four cities in the state:

  • Cincinnati: 1,898,000 geolocation transactions
  • Columbus: 1,033,000 geolocation transactions
  • Cleveland: 772,000 geolocation transactions
  • Toledo: 619,000 geolocation transactions

“Today, about 44% of the American population can bet online with legal and responsible operators. The launch of regulated online sports betting in Ohio will better protect its citizens, with an increased commitment to responsible gambling and new funding for critical state programs,” Slader added.

Ohio retail and online sports betting off to fast start

Here are the online sports betting operators that launched at 12:01 a.m.:

  • Barstool Sportsbook
  • Bet365
  • Betfred
  • BetMGM
  • Betr
  • BetRivers
  • Caesars Sportsbook
  • DraftKings
  • FanDuel
  • Hard Rock
  • PointsBet
  • SuperBook
  • Tipico Sportsbook

“We’re excited to ring in the New Year with the launch of our top-rated DraftKings Sportsbook app in Ohio,” said Matt Kalish, DraftKings Co-Founder and President, DraftKings North America, in a press release. “Ohioans are passionate sports fans with hometown pride, and we’re thrilled to offer them a variety of ways to have more skin in the game ahead of the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship and the NFL playoffs.”

A number of retail sportsbook are now open as well. Here are the confirmed sportsbook locations that are now open:

  • Belterra Park
  • Hard Rock Cincinnati
  • Hollywood Casino Columbus
  • Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway
  • Jack Cleveland
  • Jack Thistledown
  • Scioto Downs

Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose placed the first bet at the Hard Rock Cincinnati sportsbook at 12:01 a.m., betting $100 on the Reds to win the 2023 World Series.