Three Ohio Sports Franchises Get Sports Betting Licenses

The betting will start on January 1st, 2023.

Remember when professional sports leagues and individual sports franchise owners were totally against the establishment of legalized sportsbooks and leagues would not put a team in Las Vegas because of gambling? Those days are long gone. Sports teams owners are beginning to feature sports gambling at their sports stadiums and sports arenas. Sometime in the near future, people going to Major League Baseball games in Cincinnati, National Football League contests in Cleveland and Major League Soccer games in Columbus will be able to bet on the premises. The Ohio Casino Control Commission has conditionally approved several sports betting licenses, which will allow the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Browns, and Columbus Crew to offer online and retail sports betting at their facilities. The Ohio Casino Commission has put on hold its approval of licenses for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals and MLS’ FC Cincinnati, as franchise representatives were not present at its last commission meeting.

The Reds, Browns, and Crew businesses received conditional approval for a Type A or online betting and Type B or retail sports betting license applications. The Reds organization partnered with Underdog Sports Wagering to operate its online sports betting services. The Browns franchise has partnered with Bally’s, and the Crew business partnered with Tipico. Muirfield Village Golf Club received conditional approval for both types of licenses as well. The club partnered with Parx Interactive to operate its online sports betting services. The professional sports organizations and the golf course will more than likely be able to begin gambling operations on January 1st, 2023. The licenses are valid for five years. Gambling is good for sports owners.

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Cincinnati Reds’ Mike Moustakas runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Cincinnati, Sunday, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)