Governor of Ohio finally signs off on sports betting bill

There has been a remarkable snowball effect of states in the US that have legalized sports betting in 2021. It seemed as though we would close out the year with no more additions to the list but Ohio has now become the 7th state to legalize sports betting. Where other states have labored under the process of deliberation and voting, Ohio has pushed through their sports betting law in a genuinely staggering amount of time.

On Wednesday afternoon, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed legal sports betting into law after the bill flew through the legislation process in a matter of hours.  While the bill has officially been passed, Ohio residents will have to hold their horses for a short while as the first bets will only likely take place sometime around Autumn in 2022. This is also just a rough estimate of when we can expect to see the first bets being placed though, as it is still fairly unclear right now.

What to expect from the sports betting bill

At present, the new law for sports betting in Ohio allows for plenty of betting opportunities in the state from Cleveland’s Jacobs Field to the bowling alleys through the city as well. The bill that has been passed doesn’t just relate to sports betting at local retail establishments but for mobile sports betting as well. Preference will be given to existing casinos in the state and the professional sports team in Ohio as well. Sports betting will be taxed a nice round 10% on all revenue generated. The Casino Control Commission will have full control of all sports betting proceedings as well in terms of regulation.

As far as the date for which residents can start sports betting, things are still a bit unclear. What we do know is that the Casino Control Commission will start accepting application entries from the 1st of January 2022. They will then start issuing gambling licenses from the 1st of April. So, there is a rough timeline but when retail and local sportsbooks will be ready for use is still up in the air. A fair estimation puts the use of these sportsbooks somewhere in the 2nd half of 2022. There is a hope 5that the launch of retail and local sportsbooks will dovetail nicely with the launch of the new NFL season next year.

What sportsbooks are expected to be available?

This is a big question on the mind of sports betting fans in Ohio who know what to expect from the best sportsbooks in the US. It would be a shame to legalize sports betting in the state only to be provided with sub par sportsbooks to use. Supposedly, there are going to be over 50 different online sportsbooks that will become available. From this number, it’s pretty safe to assume that the state will include some of the big online sportsbooks in the industry like BetMGM, DraftKings, Bet365, FanDuel and more.

If the total figure really is 50 odd sportsbooks, Ohio sports betting fans are going to have their pick of the best sportsbooks in the US. It really is a staggeringly diverse range that will be available. Time will tell what kind of options will become available and whether or not there really will be as many as is currently expected. We likely won’t have to wait much longer as the license will be issued in April next year. From there, it should quickly become evident what sportsbooks the state of Ohio are going to allow to operate.