Sports betting in Ohio can legally start on New Year’s Day.
As promised last month, Ohio Casino Control Commission Executive Director Matt Schuler announced the universal start date for wagering in the state on Wednesday, with Jan. 1, 2023, selected for the launch.
“This date was chosen to give all stakeholders time to start offering sports gaming on the same date - including businesses looking to offer online and brick-and-mortar sports gaming, as well as kiosks in bars and taverns across Ohio,” the Ohio Casino Control Commission said in an email to stakeholders on Wednesday.
January 1 is also the latest possible universal start date for both retail and online sports betting in Ohio by law.
While not unexpected, the choice means bettors in the Buckeye State will miss out on almost all of the National Football League’s upcoming regular season. It will prolong the opening of a highly-anticipated market for operators as well, as Ohio is the seventh-most populous state in the U.S.
Lots to do
However, the fairly open model for legal sports betting that Ohio lawmakers settled on last year, and the statutory requirement for a single launch date for all forms of wagering, has left regulators with a hefty workload.
“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 commission said on Wednesday. “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.”
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. Holders of the online licenses 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.
Residents will need to be 21 or older and physically located in Ohio if they want to wager. Sports-betting revenue will be subject to a 10% tax rate.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission noted the state’s sports-betting law sets out that all forms of wagering must have the opportunity to launch on the same day, even though wannabe licensees may have varying amounts of work to do before they’re ready to accept bets.
"Leading up to the universal start date, prospective licensees will be completing buildings, distributing kiosks, hiring and training employees, obtaining partners, and making all other necessary arrangements to begin offering sports gaming from the same starting line," the regulator said on Wednesday. "The Commission is aware that some stakeholders, specifically many online operators, have fewer preparations to make leading up to launch and could start sooner. However, pursuant to [Ohio's sports-betting law], all forms of sports gaming must have the opportunity to launch on the exact same date."
