When it comes to launching Ohio sports betting, every step in the process matters.
At Wednesday’s Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) meeting, Executive Director Matthew Schuler said the commission will announce a universal start date for sports gaming at its next meeting on June 1. He also said the start date will be closer to, or on, Jan. 1, 2023, as mandated by state law.
That's bad news for Ohio State Buckeyes fans, who might've been hoping to use a Tipico Ohio bonus code to wager on their team in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The state date will be shared in writing with all stakeholders at the same time and posted to the commission’s website.
Schuler’s announcement comes about a week after state Sen. Kirk Schuring, one of the architects of the Ohio sports betting law, told a local radio station that “in the mid to late fall, we will have everything operational.”
Schuring said on the radio show that he met recently with Schuler and was told “they’re putting together a timeline that we all can follow to make sure that we’re moving as expeditiously as possible.”
Fellow state Sen. Niraj Antani last week told the Dayton Daily News that “I still believe sports betting will be able to start in the late fall, around the World Series.”
Applications Will Soon Be Available
Final versions of applications, except for the Type-C sports gaming host, will be made available on June 1, 2022. Type C applications will be available on July 15.
In an FAQ on its website, the commission said, “Ohio is undertaking the largest gaming expansion in its history and largest ever simultaneous launch of sports gaming in the United States, with all eligible online applications, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, and kiosks in bars and taverns eligible to start on the exact same date.
“If industry estimates are to be believed, this will necessitate detailed due diligence investigations and ensure compliance requirements of approximately 3,000 applications in time for the Universal Start Date.”
The OCCC will begin accepting applications for Type A, B and C licenses on June 15 and will also begin to accept key and standard sports gaming employment applications.
Missing Most of NFL Season Will Be Costly
With two NFL teams in the state, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, many were hoping Ohio could launch sports betting during the season. Now it appears it will be the end of the season.
Many of the Week 17 games would be played on Jan. 1, a Sunday. Many of the Week 18 games would be a week later. The Bengals face the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, the Buffalo Bills, on Jan. 2, and the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 8. The Browns face their biggest rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Jan. 8.
The biggest sports betting event, the Super Bowl, will be Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona.
