Ohio is officially legalizing sports gambling – but after most of football season.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission announced Wednesday that the state's sports betting program would begin on Jan. 1, 2023, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The delay is reportedly to allow time for applications and a vetting process for those wishing to allow sports gambling.
The state of Ohio legalized sports betting back in December but allowed officials until no later than Jan. 1 2023 to roll out the program. With the Jan. 1 start date, officials have chosen the latest possible date for the program's rollout.
This means betting will not be legalized in the state for the entirety of the college football regular season and all but two weeks of the NFL regular season.
This late rollout date will mean about $1 billion in lost betting volume.
If sports betting were made live in the state by Nov. 1, Ohio sportsbook operators would have brought in an estimated $1.04 billion in betting volume during the eight weeks of games in 2022, according to Play OHIO.
