Ohio - Recent projections show Ohio is going to be on top when it comes to sports betting in 2023, once it becomes legal on January 1st. 

The Publication GamblingNews points to a study by BonusFinder, placing Ohio as the number sports betting state.

"That's right along the lines up there with New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Nevada," Mazzeo said, "That's really strong."

Mazzeo said he's not surprised about the projections, given the number of professional sports teams across the state.

Ohio's population is also ranked 7th in the country, with a very passionate fan base.

"You have a lot of cities," he said, "Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, with professional sports teams and so there is going to be a lot of drivers there."

Another reason Ohioans are expected to bet in big numbers is the unique "three-tier betting system" that will be in place. Ohioans will have three different options to bet, whether that be online, at the casino or at kiosks placed across the state.

"You have online sportsbooks, you have retail at the casinos, and then you have the lottery kiosks," he said. 

"As of Thursday, there are almost 4,000 licenses," Mazzeo said, "A lot of those are kiosks and so it's a heck of a lift. She's [OCCC Chair June Taylor] basically working around the clock to make sure everybody that wants to go live January one can do so."

Mazzeo said it's important Ohioans do their research before betting and make sure sportsbooks are approved.