COLUMBUS, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
In June, we learned that sports betting would officially become legal in Ohio on January 1, 2023.
Now we know at what time exactly bettors will be permitted to place the state's first wagers.
During an Ohio Casino Control Commission meeting on Wednesday, Executive Director Matthew T. Schuler revealed that sports betting will become legal in the state right at midnight on Jan. 1, 2023. The announcement could conceivably allow people in Ohio to immediately place bets on games taking place on the West Coast on Dec. 31, including the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl semifinal in Glendale, Arizona.
“The common sense way to do this with absolute clarity, is that once the ball drops in Times Square, sports gaming can commence,” Schuler said during the meeting, according to Robert Linnehan of SaturdayTradition.com.
According to Schuler, the commission has already received 850 applications for licenses-related to sports betting ahead of next year's Jan. 1 launch date. Under House Bill 29, which was signed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine late last year, a total of 65 licenses will be available in the state, including 40 retail and 25 mobile licenses.
Once sports betting in Ohio is officially launched, it will bring an end to a years-long process to legalize sports gambling in the state following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a federal ban on sports gaming in 2018. Even prior to the passing of House Bill 29 last December, bordering states Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia had each already launched sports gaming programs.