Ohio Sports Betting Will Not Be Available Before Super Bowl

For Ohio residents looking to bet on the Super Bowl this year, you are out of luck. The Ohio State Senate’s goal is to pass the necessary legislation by Christmastistime of this year. Even if the legislation is passed then, the law will most likely be enacted by the first of April. This is a big revenue loss for the state of Ohio; The government will not be able to collect taxes from bets surrounding the Super Bowl and most of March Madness (which finishes on April 5).

Why Did This Happen?

In short, the bureaucracy of state government slowed down the process more than expected. At the beginning of 2021, it appeared as if Ohio would be one of the next states to legalize sports betting. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expected to sign sports betting legislation this year. He knew that sports betting was happening in Ohio, but he wanted to regulate it. Sports betting is also legal in Ohio’s neighboring states of Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, so the Ohio state government loses tax revenue when their residents cross state lines to bet on sports.

The Senate Select Committee on Gaming passed sports betting legislation in the spring in the State Senate passed it in June. The problems really got rolling when the legislation got to the House. The House got held up with other important issues in Ohio and did not iron out the details of this sports betting legislation before their Summer recess.

Are Kiosks Holding Up the Process?

The legislation includes three types of sports betting licenses. Type A licenses include the state’s 11 casinos and racinos. Type B licenses will be for future brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, and Type C licenses are for sports betting kiosks in retail establishments with D-class liquor licenses. The amount of Type B licenses given pertains to the population of each Ohio County. Since Cuyahoga County and Hamilton County (home to Cleveland and Ohio) have populations over 800,000, they would be able to hold five Type B licenses.

There is a debate around where mobile kiosks should be allowed. Some people believe that they should be allowed in bars, restaurants, and bowling alleys to name a few places. Other people believe that it should be more regulated than that. They believe that mobile kiosks should only be allowed in traditional sports bars. This debate has slowed down the process of getting the legislation passed.

What are the Risks?

Tom Roberts of the NAACP says that commercial gambling disproportionately affects minorities in lower-income communities. Many of the selected kiosk locations in Ohio would be placed in predominantly lower-income communities, which end up disproportionately targeting Black and brown residents.

Other critics of the bill say that this legislation will not protect consumers and will worsen the wealth inequality in Ohio. There are also currently no provisions that would shield kids from local gambling advertising the way that kids are protected from tobacco advertising. Some would call that ironic because the potential tax revenue Ohio could make would go to K-12 education.