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DraftKings, Hall of Fame Village among Ohio sports betting license applicants
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If sports betting operators hope to launch on Jan. 1, 2023, the deadline to submit Ohio sports betting license applications is July 16.
With only 13 applications submitted so far, it’s a good bet that the Ohio Casino Control Commission will be inundated with operator applications during its final week-and-a-half window.
DraftKings, Barstool licenses submitted
Penn National Gaming, which owns and operates Barstool Sportsbook, submitted an online sports betting provider application to the commission on June 30. It joined DraftKings, BetMGM and PointsBet as the only operators to submit online provider applications so far.
Each operator must partner with a Type-A sports betting license holder to offer online sports betting. No partnerships were noted on the applications, but three of the four operators have already secured market access.
Penn National Gaming operates four Hollywood Casinos in Ohio, so it can partner Barstool Sportsbook with any of its locations. Penn National Gaming agreed to issue Rush Street “second skin access” in the state, allowing Rush Street’s “SugarHouse” or “BetRivers” brand to operate in Ohio. PointsBet will likely also partner with one of Penn’s Hollywood casinos, as the company issued Penn National Gaming 509,128 shares of its stock in January at an issue price of $6.88 a share.
BetMGM has Ohio market access through its MGM Northfield Casino.
DraftKings has yet to publicly announce a partnership with a Type-A license holder.
Remaining license applications
Jack Entertainment, an Ohio based company with two casinos in the state, applied for Type A (online sports betting) and Type B (retail sports betting) licenses for its Cleveland and Thistledown Racino locations on June 22. Jack Entertainment’s “betJACK” brand will serve as the management services provider for its Thistledown Racino Type B license.
They were joined by the Hall of Fame Village, which also applied for a Type A and Type B license.
Only one entity has applied for a Type C (sports betting kiosk) license so far. Elsy Gameboard Technologies submitted an application on June 29.
Existing Ohio sports betting partnerships
A number of sports betting operators have to submit license applications before the July 16 deadline if they want to take advantage of existing sports betting partnerships or market access agreement sin Ohio. Caesars Sportsbook, Fubo Gaming, Bally Interactive, Tipico, and betPARX all inked partnerships within the last year with professional sports franchises or leagues to gain market access in Ohio, but none have submitted license applications so far.
Caesars Sportsbook also owns Eldorado Scioto Downs in Franklin County.
Several other operators have also agreed to market access deals, but none have submitted applications so far:
- WynnBET announced in Jan. 2021 it had secured market access to operate in Ohio whenever the state approved its sports betting bill.
- Kindred announced in Sept. 2020 it had secured Ohio market access for its UniBet brand through a partnership with Penn National Gaming.
- MaximBet announced in Sept. 2021 it secured Ohio market access.
- HardRock operates a Cincinnati casino.
Regulatory Writer and Editor for XLMedia. Sports. Gambling. Not necessarily in that order. Follow him on Twitter @rlinnehanxl