The window is now open for the first wave of applications for Ohio sports betting licenses.
With legal sports betting scheduled to start in Ohio on New Year’s Day 2023, companies interested in offering online sports betting and operating brick-and-mortar sportsbooks can start submitting applications to the state’s regulator.
“This window is for Proprietor, Management Services Provider, first designated Mobile Management Services Provider, and Supplier applicants looking to launch on January 1, 2023,” the Ohio Casino Control Commission said in an email on Wednesday. “This first application window closes July 15.”
Another window
Ohio law allows for up to 25 online sports betting licenses to be issued initially, with preference given to the state’s professional sports organizations and the operators of its casinos and racinos.
Online licensees can partner with up to two mobile management service providers to conduct their wagering operations. Holders of an online license will also need to secure one of the 40 brick-and-mortar sportsbook permits up for grabs or have some of their business operations in the state.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission says it will start posting the list of applicants on its website this Friday, and that it will be updated every Friday evening. That will eventually include applications by bars and taverns looking to host sports-betting kiosks at their establishments.
“As a reminder, the application window for second designated Mobile Management Services Providers and Type-C Sports Gaming Hosts will open on July 15,” the regulator said in its email. “Any application for these license types submitted before this date will not be considered.”
The second application window will close on August 15.
Lots to do
While Ohio sports bettors are still on track to miss most of the NFL regular season, the statutory requirement of a universal starting date for all forms of wagering means that regulators could have to sort through thousands of applications. The hefty workload contributed to the Jan. 1, 2023 start date, which is the latest possible date by law.
When wagering does begin, residents will need to be 21 or older and physically located in Ohio if they want to participate. Sports-betting revenue will also be subject to a 10% tax rate.
“January 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 casino control commission said earlier this month. “According to industry estimates, this will necessitate detailed due diligence investigations, as well as comprehensive compliance examinations, of approximately 3,000 licensees ahead of that date.”
