A fresh batch of Ohio sports betting licenses is scheduled to be approved this week.
Consideration of several permits to run online sports betting sites in the Buckeye State is currently on the docket for Wednesday's meeting of the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
Notably, Ohio regulators will consider mobile management services provider licenses for companies connected to BetMGM, DraftKings, Hard Rock Sportsbook, Tipico, and BetRivers.
Those licenses would let the operators conduct online sports betting on behalf of the state's legal sports betting "proprietors," which are chiefly casinos and professional sports organizations.
For example, Hard Rock is partnered with (unsurprisingly) Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. DraftKings, meanwhile, is linked to Hollywood Casino Toledo.
The agenda for this week's Ohio Casino Control Commission meeting is out. BetMGM, DraftKings, Hard Rock, Tipico, and BetRivers are all in line to be conditionally approved for online sports betting licenses ahead of the Jan. 1, 2023, launch of legal sports betting in the state. pic.twitter.com/67doKlsbNN
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) October 31, 2022
Wednesday’s expected approvals would be in addition to seven other operators that have been given the nod by regulators in the state, including Barstool Sportsbook and FanDuel. Ohio’s sports-betting law initially allows for up to 25 online sports betting licenses to be awarded to proprietors who can partner with up to two mobile management services providers.
Ohio regulators have gradually been approving more and more operators ahead of the Buckeye State’s January 1, 2023, start date for legal sports betting.
Rather than a staggered launch, Ohio will launch all forms of sports betting all at once — lottery, retail, and online. According to the casino control commission's agenda, regulators will consider even more licenses for lottery kiosk hosts, suppliers, and both retail and online sports betting proprietors, including Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, during Wednesday's meeting.
Nevertheless, even though actual wagering won’t commence until the New Year, operators have begun signing up customers in Ohio ahead of the launch. Caesars Sportsbook is one of those early operators, as it announced last week that it is offering a pre-launch bonus.
