Christmas came early for Ohio sports bettors yesterday as the Buckeye state became the 31st in the country to legalize sports betting. The Ohio Senate passed HB29 by an overwhelming vote of 31-1. Then the House voted 72-12 in favor. The bill now heads to Governor Mike DeWine's desk, who has long been a supporter of legalized betting and is expected to sign it into law.
The bill allows for both mobile and retail sports betting, including up to 25 mobile betting apps. Brick and mortar betting will take place at casinos, racetracks, stadiums and even bars and restaurants. If all goes according plan, Ohio will begin accepting legal wagers in 2022.
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Ohio is home to 12 million residents, making it the 7th biggest state in the country in terms of population. With millions of die-hard sports fans and countless pro and college teams, the Ohio market is sure to be lucrative once it's fully up and running.
Today bettors have Thursday Night Football to get down on, plus 3 NBA games, 10 NHL games and a full College Basketball card. For an updated breakdown of Tuesday's betting action, be sure to tune in to the VSiN Market Insights Podcast with Josh Appelbaum. It will be posted by 1 p.m. ET. I'll also be co-hosting Betting Across America with Mike Pritchard from 3 to 4 p.m. ET.
Now let's discuss where the money is flowing for tonight's Week 14 opener in the NFL…
8:20 p.m. ET: Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings
Both of these non-conference foes are "in the hunt" when it comes to the playoffs, which makes this a must-win game for both sides. The Steelers (6-5-1 SU, 5-7 ATS) just upset the Ravens 20-19, winning outright as a 4-point home dog. Meanwhile, the Vikings (5-7 SU, 6-6- ATS) have dropped two straight and just fell to the lowly Lions 29-27, losing outright as 7-point road favorites.
This line opened with Minnesota listed as a 3.5-point home favorite. Some shops opened a bit higher at Vikings -4. The public is split and doesn't know who to take, yet we've seen this line fall down to 3. This signals respected money grabbing the points with the road dog, specifically at Steelers plus the hook ( 3.5). Pittsburgh matches several betting systems. Road dogs are 67-43 ATS (61%) this season. Road dogs 7 or less are 56-23 ATS (71%). Primetime dogs are 24-15 ATS (62%). Mike Tomlin is 5-2 ATS as a dog this season and 43-21 ATS (67%) as a dog in his career. Minnesota will be missing both RB Dalvin Cook and WR Adam Thielen due to injury.
Kirk Cousins is 15-22 ATS (41%) as a home favorite. Big Ben is 37-22 ATS (63%) as a dog.
We've also seen some under money show up, dropping the total from 44.5 to 43.5. Unders are 111-82 (58%) this season. Non-conference unders are 41-21 (66%). If the total is 45 or less, the under is 40-26 (61%). If the total falls at least one point, the under is 52-35 (60%). Primetime unders are 22-16 (58%) this season but a sparkling 20-8 (71%) since November.
