JACK Entertainment and DraftKings Joined the Pool of Companies Seeking Betting Licenses in Ohio

By Matt Speakman,
Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

Matt Speakman Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

A die-hard fan of the Patriots, Matt Speakman is an expert on everything related to sports betting and DFS sites. Over the years, he has proven a valuable asset for our team at online-gambling.com. You can find Speakman's professional tips and tricks in any of his many articles on the website.

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Last updated: June 25, 2022

On June 24, it was reported that the Ohio Casino Control Commission received a license application from DraftKings to serve as the state’s mobile management services provider. Even though the company which is based in Boston does not have a proprietor yet, it is one of the accredited operators for the Penn National Gaming megadeal for market access in 2019. Among the states covered in the megadeal is Ohio, where two of Penn’s racinos and Casinos are in operation. However, DraftKings does already offer daily fantasy sports in Ohio.

In April, it was announced that JACK has created an online betting platform named betJACK which was developed by Shape Games. Currently, the games on the platform run as free-to-play, but it is looking for a managed services provider in Ohio.

PointsBet and BetMGM Leading the Queue

The applications received from the two betting operators have joined the ones from PointsBet and BetMGM, who applied after the application window opened on June 15. The application window is opened for companies who want to serve as online or retail operators and proprietors for online or in-person wagering.

From July 15, the next phase of applications accepted has been for bars and other by-the-drink companies licensed by the state that aims to run sports betting kiosks in the venue. Within this window, proprietors who wanted a second partner are expected to push their applications as well. The deadline is August 15. However, irrespective of the response, sports betting cannot start in the state till January 1.

Even though the Casino Control Commission in the State will still accept applications outside the deadlines set on July 15 and August 15, operators and proprietors who failed to push their applications on time will be at the risk of not starting on the said start date.

The Betting Licensing Structure in Ohio

Based on the legislation passed last year by the lawmakers in the state, the state will accommodate up to 40 retail sportsbooks and 25 online sports betting operators. However, the operations of retail sportsbooks will be limited in some counties. The yardstick for the county selection will be based on their populations. Also, counties that have 50,000 residents but attract up to 5 million tourists in a calendar year will be considered.

Among the entities that will be eligible for license under the proprietor’s category are Mid-Ohio Sports Car Cours, Muirfield Village Golf Club, the four casinos licensed by OCCC, and the seven racinos with the Ohio Lottery license. However, partnerships are allowed for proprietors up to two sportsbooks, or service providers.

In terms of betting kiosks, there is no limit to the number of companies to be approved, but it is said that the OCCC will approve about 20.

As expected, there are variations in the licensing fees. Sports venues and teams are expected to pay $1 million to obtain their license, and to partner with two service providers will cost them $3.3 million. Racinos and casinos will pay $1.5 million for a single license and $5 million for two partnerships. This same structure goes for online providers partnering with a racino or casino and two setups respectively.

Online providers will pay $2 million for a team partnership and $6.7 million for another venue or team partnership.