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The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) might be a governmental body but it isn’t completely without empathy. Then again, a decision by the regulators of Ohio sports betting might have just made a move to save themselves some headache later.
On Wednesday, the OCCC extended a deadline for businesses that want to take part in the oncoming launch of legal Ohio sportsbooks to get their license applications in. The Commission has given those businesses nearly three more months to get their affairs in order.
One Ohio sports betting license application deadline sees delay
In Ohio’s recently enacted gambling expansion law, businesses like bars, hotels, and liquor stores can get in on the action by hosting kiosks. These are consoles similar to bank ATMs that will allow Ohioans to place bets on sporting events.
Those businesses must have a license from the state to host the kiosks, though, just as they need a license to sell alcohol or sell lottery tickets. In fact, simultaneous possession of alcoholic beverage sales and lottery retailer licenses is a requirement for the sports betting kiosk license.
The Ohio Lottery had given pre-approval status to more than 1,200 such establishments that expressed interest in adding the amenity. The deadline to submit their full applications to the OCCC was Aug. 12. That’s if the businesses wanted to begin offering the service to customers starting Jan. 1, 2023, the first permissible day under the law, that is.
However, as PlayOhio reports, nearly half of the pre-approved applicants failed to get their applications in on time. In response, the OCCC extended the deadline at its Wednesday meeting. That doesn’t mean the applicants have all the time in the world to get the paperwork in if they want to flip the switch on New Year’s Day, though. PlayOhio shared quotes from OCCC Chairman Matt Schuler explaining the new protocol.
“Even though the window has closed, we are strongly encouraging the pre-approved businesses by the Lottery to apply, and we will continue to process them as quickly as possible,” Schuler said. “We can marshal our resources and continue to get to those but not just any time is going to be good enough because we have a very full calendar leading up to the universal start date.”
Schuler’s comments offer some hope to businesses that have been on the fence about ing the crowd.
There’s limited room for stragglers
The Ohio Lottery has continued to give its pre-approval to businesses past the original Aug. 12 deadline for Jan. 1 launch. That means some hope for business owners that have had other priorities over the past few weeks.
The OCCC now says applicants need to get their paperwork in by Nov. 2 if they want a chance at full approval in time to turn on their kiosks on New Year’s Day. Schuler noted that besides its normal duties regulating the state’s casinos, the OCCC has a trove of individual employee license applications to pour through.
This move also allows the Commission to avoid a potential logjam of applications that might have built up. Furthermore, it sidesteps a potential issue of what to do about the 600-plus pre-approved applicants who missed the deadline.
The sooner these businesses pay the $1,000 application fee and get their paperwork in, the more likely it is that they will ring in 2023 with a shiny new kiosk on their floors.
