The licensing of sports betting in Ohio opened the floodgates for exciting big names in the industry to apply. This will see a lineup of over sixty operators in Ohio sports betting. This guide will show you where you can kick off your wagering when betting goes live on January 1, 2023.
Ohio Sports Gambling License Categories
The Ohio Casino Control Commission is responsible for the regulation of sportsbooks in the state. The commission has the task of receiving applications for the requisite licenses for sports. The licenses fall into different categories. There are type A licenses, type B licenses and type C licenses. Then there are licenses for the Mobile Management Service Providers. Another category is that of Management Service Providers and suppliers.
The applications would be received up to July 15 when the window closed. In the run-up to the deadline, new applicants were announced on Friday afternoons throughout the process.
- The type A licenses are for mobile gaming as well as professional sports. Others who can apply for these licenses are casinos and racinos.
- Type B licenses are for facilities that offer physical betting in brick-and-mortar structures.
- Type C licenses are for enterprises that combine liquor selling and betting.
- The MMSPs provide mobile phones betting platforms.
- Management Service Providers (MSP) are companies that offer supportive services to the betting industry. They include bookmakers and game developers.
Between July 15 to August 15, 2022, there will be applications for Type C licenses. The second designated MMSPs will send applications during the same period.
Type A licenses for online sports betting providers
Type A licenses for online sports betting providers have gone to big names such as Fanduel, BetMGM, DraftKings, PointsBet, Ceasers, BetRivers, Fubo Sportsbook Ohio and Hard Rock Ohio.
Other notable applicants were Pro Football Hall of Fame, JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino.
Type B Licenses for physical brick-and-mortar casinos
Applications for Type B licenses were relatively fewer. There were no new applications in July. Type B licenses are for Brick-and-Mortar casinos that offer physical betting.
The two JACK properties and the Hall of Fame have already put in their applications in this category. However, the Bengals did not express any interest in this license. This creates the suspicion that Bengals will partner with one of the applicants to offer the services. An announcement to this effect should be forthcoming soon.
It is now clear that there will be over 60 providers, making the Ohio online betting scene one of the largest in the US.
Type C licenses for liquor enterprises
Type C licenses have attracted the least number of applicants. So far only Elys Gameboard Technologies has applied for this license. From the look of things, it will be the sole player in this category. It remains to be seen if more applicants will be interested in this category in the future.
Sports teams in the betting space
Sports teams in other states are already steps ahead in forming partnerships with various sportsbooks to get betting licenses. The Washington Football Team was the first NFL side to acquire a license from the state of Virginia via a partnership with FanDuel Sportsbook. In Arizona, the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Coyotes are some of the pro teams with sports operating these licenses.
In Ohio, the Cincinnati Bengals were among the first sports teams to apply. They applied for a Type A license for this purpose, and are in partnership with BetFred sportsbook.
There are other teams whose applications are ongoing as the ballooning list draws to a close on July 15, 2022. These include:
- The Cleveland Cavaliers who are in partnership with Ceasars Sportsbook OH.
- The Cleveland Browns in partnership with Bally Bet.
- The Cleveland Guardians in partnership with BetFanatics
- The Cincinnati Reds in partnership with Underdog Sports.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets are also in partnership with BetFanatics.
- The Columbus Crew with Tipico Sportsbook.
- FC Cincinnati with Superbook Sports.
The PGA tour has also gone into partnership with betPARX sportsbook. Consequently, betPARX will be handling all the betting on PGA organized Memorial Tournament. The tournament is held annually at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
The mobile management service providers
The Mobile Management Service Provider (MMSP) category was also abuzz with applications. Betfair Interactive U.S. (FanDuel Sportsbook) and FBG Enterprises Opco (Fanatics) were among the leading applicants.
They joined Penn Sports Interactive (Barstool Sportsbook), Crown Ohio Gaming LLC (DraftKings Ohio), BetMGM and PointsBet.
Future of Ohio Sports Betting
With the application window having closed, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is now focused on the official betting launch in January. Ohio has also given guidelines on the entire sports betting launching process.
All Ohio sports betting apps will start operating simultaneously when the right time comes.
