Welcome to the ultimate Ohio Bingo guide! Ohio bingo is ramping up in popularity drawing along side poker card gaming within the state.
Bingo is a charitable game permitted in Ohio with several new venues sprouting throughout Ohio every year. It is a game that is extremely social, yet includes the fun and excitement of winning small jackpots or prizes. Bingo halls in Ohio are professionally run by many volunteers who are passionate about their community. Therefore many local enjoy the bingo spirit which is a lot “softer” than a casino.
You may recall bingo was a game that was associated with old ladies sitting in a large community hall. Well, that imagery is now long gone and replaced with mostly young sophisticated women who are adept with social media.
Ohio Online Bingo
Online bingo has spawn the revival of bingo. Because of social media apps such as Facebook (Facebook Messenger), Instagram and Whatsapp creating instant messaging and the sharing of pictures and other creative ways of interacting with others, online bingo has been able to assimilate social media features with the bingo game. In many ways, bingo isn’t simply the daubing of drawn numbers, but is also about being socially interactive. Therefore online bingo has seen a surge of players from Ohio.
Join up to an online bingo site and give it a go!
Key Points:
- Legal minimum age is 18 to play online bingo
- Play within the borders of Ohio
- Stick to our recommended best 3 online Ohio bingo sites
Top 3 Ohio Bingo Sites
Ohio Bingo Halls
By far the largest and popular bingo hall in Ohio is the Eastown Town Hall Bingo, located at 1232 Falke Drive. This is an extremely professionally run bingo hall, and therefore the numbers are drawn, read and daubed thick and fast. Great action to be had, as well as a wonderful community spirit.
Call first to ask for opening times +1 937-253-1617
Bingo Gambling Laws
Ohio bingo gambling laws stem from charitable gaming legislation. In 1976 charitable gaming legislation came into existence after it was passed by a voters ballot. Its original intent was to apply to traditional bingo, but bingo has since grown to include instant bingo (tickets).
In the 1990’s the bingo industry became exploited by bingo operators whom exposed gambling law loops holes. They took advantage of the lack of law enforcement and gaps in legislation and began directing proceeds for personal gain. As a result, bingo profits did not end up with the community.
It wasn’t until 2002, that state law makers took action to close out the loopholes. HB512 was introduced and passed to reform bingo gambling laws. HB512, however, failed to close out particular loop holes. In an attempt to iron out the gaps in HB512, implementation of HB512 was postponed until 2003, however gaps still remained.
In 2004 HB325 was introduced to close out the loops holes that HB512 failed to address.
As you can imagine, with layers of legislation being introduced complexity began to arise thus leading to situations which legislation contradicted each other.
It is therefore, strongly recommended to seek legal advise if you are seeking clarity of Ohio Bingo Gambling Laws. The laws that pertain directly Ohio Bingo are contained in the Ohio Revised Code, and in the charitable law section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
In order for a non profit organization to be allowed to offer bingo, they must apply and obtain a license. The license to be applied for is dependent on the type of bingo to be offered – instant bingo or traditional bingo.
There are three types of licenses, Type I, II and III.
- Type I – Traditional bingo is permitted.
- Type II – Instant bingo is permitted in conjunction with a traditional bingo event.
- Type III – Instant bingo is permitted to be offered alongside other events that are not traditional bingo.
There are no tax rates application to proceeds raised from charitable organizations that conduct bingo. Tax exemptions are found in Section 501(c)(3) of the legislation.
FAQ
The minimum age to play bingo in Ohio is 18.
Yes you can. There are no specific laws that address online bingo (let alone other forms of online gaming) in Ohio. As a result, you will find that there are many sites that accept Ohio online bingo players.