COLUMBUS, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission is set to announce a universal start date for sports betting to begin in the Buckeye State. And it looks like those who were hoping to place a legal wager sooner rather than later will still have some waiting to do.
As was announced at a Commission meeting earlier this month, the universal start date for sports gaming in Ohio will officially be announced at the Commission’s meeting on Wednesday, June 1. There doesn't appear to be much suspense regarding what that date will be, however, as the Commission's website has already revealed that the universal start date is expected to be close to -- if not exactly on -- January 1, 2023.
A portion of the website's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) explicitly states that sports gaming won't be implemented in Ohio in time for the start of the 2022 NFL regular season in September or the MLB World Series in October.
"No. Given the intricacies of the rule making process in Ohio and the number of licenses and investigations that the Commission must issue or undertake, the Universal Start Date is likely to be close to, if not exactly on, January 1, 2023," the answer reads.
Late last December, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 29, bringing an end to a years-long process to legalize sports gambling in Ohio following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a federal ban on sports gaming in 2018. While the bill called for sports betting to be activated no later than Jan. 1, 2023, some lawmakers were hopeful that Ohio would be able to do so before then -- although it now appears those efforts won't ultimately be successful.