The Ohio Casino Control Commission approved 10 Ohio sports betting proprietor licenses at its Thursday meeting.
There are still plenty of approvals to go before Ohio sportsbooks can launch at midnight on Jan. 1.
Executive Director Matt Schuler made it clear those approvals for a day-one launch depend on hitting multiple deadlines. As of two weeks ago, about a third of applicants were missing necessary paperwork.
Approved Ohio sports betting proprietors
Of the 10 proprietor licenses approved, nine applied for both retail and mobile licenses:
| Proprietor licensee | First skin partner | Second skin partner | Retail partner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boyd’s Belterra Park | FanDuel | Betway | FanDuel |
| Caesars’ Scioto Downs | Caesars | N/A | Caesars |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Betfred | N/A | N/A |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Fubo | N/A | Caesars |
| Cleveland Guardians | bet365 | N/A | Fanatics |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Fanatics | Prophet Exchange | Fanatics |
| FC Cincinnati | SuperBook | N/A | SuperBook |
| MGM Northfield Park | BetMGM | N/A | BetMGM |
| PENN Entertainment’s Hollywood Columbus | Barstool Sportsbook | N/A | Barstool Sportsbook |
| PENN’s Hollywood Dayton | BetRivers | N/A | Barstool Sportsbook |
The Bengals did not apply for a retail license, as the NFL currently does not allow betting at in-stadium sportsbooks. The recently opened BetMGM sportsbook at the Arizona Cardinals‘ State Farm Stadium is its own building outside of the stadium.
Other licenses approved for smaller outlets
Another 311 Type C applications were approved, bringing the total Ohio Lottery retailers approved for sports betting kiosks to 811. The Lottery pre-approved 1,376 retailers as of Sept. 16. The commission still needs applications from 550 of those pre-approved locations, Schuler said.
There were four supplier licenses approved at the meeting as well:
- GeoComply
- GAN
- SUZOHAPP
- Sportradar
Director outlines upcoming Ohio sports betting deadlines
Schuler emphasized multiple required deadlines for a day-one launch.
He reminded proprietors, service providers and suppliers that they must have anyone in control submit all required information by Oct. 5. That was the documentation largely missing two weeks ago.
Schuler made it clear all compliance documents must be approved by the commission, not just completely submitted, by Nov. 2. This includes:
- Facility plans
- Geolocation procedures
- House rules
- Responsible gambling plans
- Test lab reports
All employee applications are also due by Nov. 2.
BetRivers now a first-skin operator under Penn
BetRivers originally appeared on the list of applicants as a second-skin operator on a PENN Entertainment license. The Rush Street Interactive brand is now listed as a first-skin operator after the CCC was alerted to the change on Aug. 26.
The two signed the deal for RSI to be a second-skin operator in Ohio, Maryland and Missouri in February 2021. The release stated RSI would pay the “industry-standard” for market access once the skins were launched.
RSI declined to comment on the change. A PENN spokesperson did not respond to LSR‘s questions.
There is a $3 million difference in holding a first-skin license compared to a second-skin license. A five-year, first-skin license costs $2 million, while a five-year, second-skin license with a casino partner costs $5 million.
