We knew sports betting would be big in the Buckeye State. With two NFL teams, two MLB teams, plus teams in the NBA, NHL, MLS and Big 10, Ohio has lots of fans – and lots of games to gamble on. But not even the experts expected Ohio to top a whopping $1 billion in bets in the first month. Ohio’s 16 sports betting apps accounted for $1.09 billion of the $1.11 billion wagered since sports betting went live in the state Jan. 1. The state’s 16 betting apps – led by FanDuel – took in $770 million of real cash bets and another $320 million worth of bets were actually placed with credits. Meanwhile, the apps paid out about $864 million of real money to players. New York was the leading state in sports gambling revenue last year, with $1.37 billion in sports betting revenue in 2022. January’s sports betting numbers were likely aided by the to pent-up demand, and analysts generally expect gambling at slot machines and casino table games to eclipse sports betting. But in January, the state’s 11 casinos and racinos had $197 million of revenue, up from $171 million in January 2022. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Fan Duel's sportsbook app was the most popular in Ohio in January. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com) |
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Sports betting: Gamblers in Ohio bet $1.1 billion in the first month of legal sports gambling in the state, though $320 million of those wagers were promotional credits given out by mobile-betting apps, reports Sean McDonnell. As a result, the state will receive about $21 million in tax revenue. Unemployment fraud: A former customer service representative with Ohio’s unemployment system has been indicted on charges that she was paid to remove fraud flags from more than 40 people’s unemployment claims, allowing them to collect nearly $800,000, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Donesha Shepard, 30, of Hamilton County, is one of four people charged in connection with the scheme, which took place in mid-2021. Officials say she advertised on Facebook to remove fraud holds or denial-of-benefit designations. Today in Ohio: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan was indignant that his Democratic counterparts on the House Judiciary Committee suggested his immigration field hearing in Yuma, Arizona, was political grandstanding. Was it? We’re talking about Jordan’s trip to Arizona and Republicans’ push for immigration reform on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily news podcast. |
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Householder trial: Prosecutors wrapped up their presentation to 14 jurors Monday in what they’ve called the largest public corruption case in Ohio history – an Ohio Speaker of the House secretly taking millions from a Fortune 500 utility company in exchange for legislation creating a $1.3 billion bailout. To prove racketeering, prosecutors must show that former GOP Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chairman and lobbyist Matt Borges participated as part of a team with a common goal of passing HB6 and to reach that goal they engaged in a pattern of underlying illegal acts, including wire fraud, extortion, bribery, and money laundering. Jake Zuckerman recounts the proof witnesses testified to. Defense: Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who’s accused of taking a bribe to pass a $1.3 billion nuclear bailout, plans to take the stand today, report Andrew Tobias and Jake Zuckerman. Former Ohio Rep. Nino Vitale, an Urbana Republican who emerged as an early conspiracy theorist during the COVID-19 pandemic, testified Tuesday in defense of Householder. Zuckerman reports that Vitale said Householder didn’t pressure him for a vote in the House speaker’s race – a crucial steppingstone for Householder’s rise and the linchpin for the alleged bribery plan. HB6: The judge overseeing ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s ongoing corruption trial has said it’s mostly irrelevant whether the 2019 nuclear bailout law at the center of the case was a good idea. But the merits of House Bill 6 keep coming up in court and could end up being a central part of Householder’s defense, reports Andrew Tobias. Portman center: Ohio State University has its John Glenn Center of Public Affairs. Ohio University has the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. Now, the University of Cincinnati will partner with Ohio’s newest ex-U.S. senator. Sabrina Eaton reports University of Cincinnati trustees voted Tuesday to create The Portman Center for Policy Solutions, designed to encourage results-oriented public service in the tradition of newly retired U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Cincinnati Republican. LaRose fundraiser: As he weighs a run for U.S. Senate, Secretary of State Frank LaRose is planning a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., reports Andrew Tobias. That’s ahead of a scheduled Saturday appearance at a national conservative political conference to appear as the lone election official on a panel called “They Stole it From Us Legally.” Train derailment: EPA Director Michael Regan on Tuesday said he wouldn’t let his children play in the East Palestine’s dirt, creeks, or streams that contain rainbow colored chemical residues from a Feb. 3 train derailment as he vowed to hold the Norfolk Southern railroad company responsible for cleanup, Sabrina Eaton reports. |
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I-480: Engineers from the Ohio Department of Transportation have designed a project to help ease traffic congestion on Interstate 480 near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, reports Molly Walsh. Kokosing Construction Co. began work on the $12 million project in late February and it is expected to be completed in summer 2024. Plastic bags: Cuyahoga County is hoping businesses will voluntarily comply with its ban on single-use plastic shopping bags by offering them money to help make the switch. Kaitlin Durbin reports retailers can now apply for Sustainable Store Grants of up to $5,000 to provide other checkout options, like paper bags or reusable bags, pay for signage or other tools to help educate customers. Cleveland’s Promise: Almira Elementary celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month last fall for the first time as the school strives to honor different Hispanic cultures and backgrounds. A quarter of Almira students are Hispanic, reports Cameron Fields. |
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Saving you money: When Sean McDonnell needs to “MacGyver” something, a makeshift solution or whatever you call it, he reaches for a tool kit of fixes. Think of it like a first-aid kit for your home; having these tools and supplies can help you deal with your home’s boo-boos. Hell’s Kitchen: After 15 weeks in the television spotlight, Northeast Ohio’s newest celebrity chef, Alejandro “Alex” Najar, has returned home to a new spotlight as executive chef at Blue Door Bakery & Café in Cuyahoga Falls. Paris Wolfe reports Najar, 29, made it through all 15 episodes of “Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the Ages" but near the end, Najar lost a point because his wagyu filet was slightly overcooked. |
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Kidnapping: A man who said he was an unwitting participant in the kidnapping of a human trafficking victim at a West Side transit stop was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison, reports Cory Shaffer. David McCord, 44, drove the stolen SUV that prosecutors say Sean Simpkins forced a woman into on April 3. Police lawsuit: A woman is suing the Walton Hills Police Department after she says an officer grabbed her by the arm and ripped her from her car during a traffic stop after she started recording the officer with her cellphone. Adam Ferrise reports Amanda Mills says she suffered several injuries, including a broken wrist bone and permanent injuries to her breasts during the Feb. 19, 2022, traffic stop. Jail director: The Ohio Supreme Court will not consider whether to reinstate the conviction of former Cuyahoga County Jail Director Ken Mills, reports Cory Shaffer. A five-justice majority on Tuesday rejected Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s request to revisit a lower court’s November decision to throw out Mills’ September 2021 conviction of two misdemeanor counts of dereliction of duty and falsification over his handling of the jail from 2015 to 2019. Vaccine pad: The manufacturers of an all-natural women’s sanitary pad sued an Ohio-based magazine in federal court over a conspiracy-laden anonymous letter it published that said the pads secretly transmitted the coronavirus vaccine. Adam Ferrise reports Atlanta-based Jewel Sanitary Napkins LLC., which makes sanitary pads under the brand REIGN, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Cleveland against the Millersburg-based Motherhood Magazine. |
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Tudor exhibit: “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England,’’ co-organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, opened on Feb. 26 and is on view through May 14, reports Steven Litt. With more than 90 objects from museums across Europe and the U.S., the exhibition is the first in the U.S. to address the evolution of the visual arts under the Tudor monarchs, illustrating the stylistic complexity and quirky brilliance of an age. Roc in CLE: Southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd will perform at the Roc In CLE benefit concert at Jacob’s Pavilion on May 20, reports Malcolm X Abram. The concert will raise money for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s Reforest Our City campaign. Hunter Jumper: The Chagrin Hunter Jumper Classic returns this July for the third year to Chagrin Valley Farms in Bainbridge Township, reports Paris Wolfe. The Classic, formerly held at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field in Moreland Hills, is a highlight of the equestrian calendar and local equestrians are working to keep the biggest hunter-jumper show happening in Northeast Ohio. |
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Cleveland man fatally shot in city’s Lee-Miles neighborhood, police say Read more South Carolina woman pumping gas in Ohio is shot, killed by robber before he’s shot by motorist, authorities say Read more NWS confirms 3 tornados touched down in southwest Ohio Read more Shaker scores $309,000 state nature grant to connect Lower Lake trail along South Park Blvd. Read more Dawn Carbone-McDonald mails ‘cease-and-desist’ letters to North Royalton residents questioning her move to Florida Read more Timeline shows Dawn Carbone-McDonald’s hesitancy to resign from North Royalton council Read more Cleveland Heights officials compile results from local American Rescue Plan Act survey Read more Akron City Council misses deadline to seat Citizens’ Police Oversight Board members Read more Check it out: Cuyahoga County Public Library reaches major digital milestone Read more |
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