Bet on it: Jan. 1 begins legal sports gaming in Ohio

(The Center Square) – Sports bettors will be able to place their bets in Ohio on Jan. 1 after the Ohio Casino Gaming Commission announced Wednesday the official start date of legal sports gaming in Ohio.

The announcement came six months after Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill into law that allows legal sports betting and sticks to the assumed timeline state lawmakers laid out during the legislative process.

“The commission is aware of that some stakeholders specifically, many online operators have fewer preparations to make leading up to launch and could possibly start sooner,” Matthew Schuler, executive director of the OCCC, told commissioners at a virtual meeting Wednesday. “However, pursuant to House Bill 29 all forms of sports gaming must have the opportunity to launch on the exact same date. Jan. 1 will represent the largest expansion of gaming in Ohio’s history and the largest ever simultaneous launch of sports gaming in the United States.”

The law creates three types of gaming licenses that last for five years and goes into effect Jan. 1.

The licenses include those for mobile apps, brick-and-mortar facilities and kiosks at certain lottery retail agents at bars and taverns across the state.

The commission will open its first application window for all licenses June 15 and close July 15. A second window opens July 15 and lasts until Aug. 15. The timeline includes dates for compliance documents and employee applications.

All equipment must be ready for commission verification by Dec. 1.

The process from passage to launch is one of the longest among any state with legalized sports betting, and industry group PlayOhio estimated the state could lose $130 million a week by bypassing the majority of the NFL season. That could add up to more than $1 billion by the end of the year.

The group pointed to both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals as among the top-11 favorites to win the Super Bowl, and the Jan. 1 start date would force bettors to miss the rivalry game Dec. 11.

In addition to college and NFL football, Ohio misses the Major League baseball playoffs, the NBA and NHL seasons opening, men’s college basketball season opening, the World Cup and the Ohio State-Michigan game Nov. 26.

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