Pro sports franchises among sports betting licenses approved by Ohio regulators
NFL’s Browns and MLB’s Reds joined by six other entities as first group greenlit to offer online and retail sportsbooks
The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) has paved the way for the first batch of retail and online sports betting licenses in the state by providing conditional approval for eight entities, including the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Reds.
The pro sports franchises were joined by Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, JACK Cleveland Casino, JACK Thistledown Racino, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Hollywood Casino Toledo and Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley as the first companies to receive Type A (online) and Type B (retail) sports betting licenses.
All are now positioned to be on the starting lines for the universal January 1, 2023 launch date established by the OCCC.
In addition to the eight Type A and B licenses, the commission also approved 300 Type C licenses – which permit licensees to house self-service betting kiosks in their establishments – for restaurants, bars and other businesses such as grocery chains.
In total, the OCCC has provided conditional approval to 499 Type C license applications, according to the state’s eLicense portal. More than 300 others are awaiting approval.
In its meeting on September 7, the OCCC reiterated that any applicants who have yet to submit requested information regarding key employees and holding companies have until October 5 to do so or will be on the outside looking in come January 1.
An ensuing deadline of November 2 will require applicants to submit plans for responsible gambling procedures, house rules and compliance materials for approval.
The commission notably delayed the approval process of two Type A and B applications – from the Cincinnati Bengals (A) and FC Cincinnati Holdings (A/B) – on account of neither having representatives present at the meeting.
To date, the OCCC has received 22 applications for Type A licenses and 26 applications for Type B licenses.