Ohio sports betting will begin early in 2023, as the Ohio Casino Control Commission detailed in its latest meeting.
January 1, 2023 will be the official launch date, as the Commission will begin accepting applications later this month.
Sports betting was legalized late last year when Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 29, authorizing the move and giving oversight to the Casino Control Commission.
The legislation allows for three different types of licenses: online and app sports books, brick and mortar operators, and kiosks and certain lottery retail agents.
“This is much more than a sports gaming bill, it’s an economic development bill that addresses an issue already happening,” said Senator Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), when the legislation was originally passed by the Senate. “This will make it legal, and generate not only business development but revenue for the state.”
According to the legislation, the state will be able to collect a 10 percent state tax and the funds will be directed toward state education funding, similar to that of revenue from the Ohio Lottery.
Based on information provided by the organization, the Ohio Lottery has “provided nearly $26 billion in cumulative profits to the State of Ohio since inception in 1974.”
The bipartisan measure overwhelmingly passed both chambers of the Ohio Legislature.
“We had to pass this legislation to keep up with other states and to ensure that Ohio wasn’t left behind, and to ensure that sports betting is open, regulated and fair,” said State Representative Adam Miller (D-Columbus), a sponsor of the bill. “Not only did we do this, we did so by providing unprecedented funding for schools, veterans and problem gambling.”
In recent years, dozens of states have moved to legalize sport betting, after the Supreme Court left the power to individual states.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
