When legal sports betting goes live in Ohio on New Year’s Day, an up-and-coming microbetting app is expected to be part of that launch.
Betr received state approvals on Dec. 16 to go active at 12:01 a.m. on January 1 to offer sports betting in Ohio, according to Founder and CEO Joey Levy.
"Pumped to be a Day 1 operator in one of the nation’s most important states," Levy wrote in a LinkedIn post about the approval.
This is a big step for Betr, an online betting site headlined by social media influencer Jake Paul, who partnered with Levy to launch the app. It launched as a free-to-play platform September, but Ohio will be the first state to allow users to wager real money in real-time on the Betr app.
"If we are to believe that micro-betting will be the predominant way people bet on sports in the U.S., then someone should launch the world’s first micro-betting-focused app," Levy said in September. "This is why we are starting Betr."
Real-time wagering on the rise
Microbetting is a growing part of the industry because it allows bettors to make live, in-game wagers on more than just full-game or derivative outcomes — they can bet on how a specific football drive will finish, or the result of the next pitch in baseball, and watch it play out in a matter of minutes and seconds instead of hours.
Simply pick between multiple choices and potentially win instantly. It could be a big draw for those in Ohio who are new to sports betting because of the small amount one can wager and build up over the course of a game.
Caesars Sportsbook, one of the largest operators in North America, announced last week that it was teaming up with Simplebet (which is Levy’s technology company that’s also partnered with DraftKings and bet365) to offer users microbetting on NFL, NBA, and MLB games, plus college football and basketball.
Plenty of options in Ohio
There will be competition for Betr in Ohio when legal betting goes live next month. It’s one of 20 mobile sportsbooks, including DraftKings, Caesars, and bet365, along with FanDuel, PointsBet, and BetMGM, to receive licenses from the state.
Nine retail sportsbooks will open as well, and preregistrations and bonus offers are already available to bettors in sports-avid Ohio.
