Last updated: October 05, 2023
Good progress is being made in Ohio’s ongoing battle to legalize betting in the state.
Following on from a new signature to the bill, it looks as if sportsbetting could be legalized in the ‘Buckeye State’ by 2023.
Following one signature last year, suddenly the tables had been turned: Mike DeWine, Ohio governor, signed House Bill 29 back on December 10th, triggering a time limit for the Ohio Casino Control Commission to begin the legalization process.
In practice, this means everything from coming up with a set of state rules that operators would need to follow, and setting a January 1st 2023 launch date for the legalization.
Last week, a fifth and final batch of rules was published, including compulsory and voluntary exclusion programs as a part of the regulation process, as is pretty common with other responsible gambling procedures in the industry.
The “next significant phase” of the sportsbetting legalization program is slated to be underway in Q2 of 2022…April. It will deal with the acceptance and issuance of licenses, and must stick to the plan if the January 1st 2023 deadline is to be respected.
Coming towards the end of what could have been a long process, the Ohio legislation has actually been pretty smooth sailing, barring an 11-day deliberation over the fourth set of rules, back in February, dealing with supplier and employee licensing, the process has been remarkably hassle- and snag-free.
We will be watching and updating you as the story progresses.
Marilyn Chavez is an associate researcher at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she studied the mathematical probabilities and aspects of casino games like slot machines. She’s written several case studies which have been published by multiple problem-gaming institutions to help spread awareness about the dangers of online gambling and gambling addiction. She also presented a 2019 Ted talk on the topic of gambling among minors.
