Is it possible that Ohioans could be in position to place a bet on the Cleveland Guardians or Cincinnati Reds before the end of the Major League Baseball season, or to wager on NFL games before the halfway mark of the 2022 regular season? At least one state senator thinks it could happen, despite the fact that potential stakeholders haven’t even had a chance to apply for sports betting licenses yet.
“I still believe sports betting will be able to start in the late fall, around the World Series,” Sen. Niraj Antani recently told the Dayton Daily News.
In response to Antani’s prediction, the Ohio Casino Control Commission sent OH Bets the following list of the stages that still need to be completed before any sports wagering can take place:
- License applications must be received and suitability investigations completed.
- All rules must complete the CSI/JCARR process.
- All sports gaming equipment must be verified.
- Responsible gaming plans, facility plans, and other compliance procedures must be submitted and approved.
- The Ohio Lottery needs to have the rules and procedures for sports gaming completed and approved.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 29 on Dec. 22, legalizing sports wagering in Ohio. Since then, the commission has remained busy trying to stay on track with meeting deadlines to have sports betting in place by the end of the year.
The commission has worked on proposed sports betting rules and draft applications, and will begin accepting applications for the first of two groups of sports betting licenses on June 15. The law states that sports betting must be launched by Jan. 1, 2023.
Progress to date
Once sports betting is underway in Ohio, up to 25 Type A licenses will be available for the eight pro teams, the PGA Tour, and NASCAR, as well as Ohio’s four casinos and seven racinos. The application fee for Type A licenses is set at $150,000.
A total of 40 Type B licenses will be available for online mobile sportsbooks, while restaurants and sports bars across the state will be able to apply for Type C licenses. The application fee for Type B licenses is set at $20,000, while Type C licenses will go for $15,000. Despite the commission’s steady progress, potential Type C licensees have expressed concern about being limited to two onsite betting kiosks.
The commission most recently offered stakeholders an opportunity to comment on draft applications for sports gaming suppliers and key sports gaming employees. The comment period closed on Friday.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission just released their draft applications for both Type A/B licensees (proprietors) and Type A/B operators (MSPs). Can be found here: https://t.co/Bl8qIempfO and here https://t.co/CzjlBdNssF
— Dan Dodd (@dan_dodd) May 2, 2022
From June 15 to July 15, the commission will accept sports betting license applications for Type A, B, and C proprietors; first-designated mobile management service providers; management service providers; and suppliers. The commission will accept applications for Type C sports gaming hosts and second-designated MMSPs from July 15 to Aug. 15.
More than 30 states have some form of sports betting already in place, including Ohio’s neighboring states of Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
