Any person operating, conducting, or assisting in operating or conducting sports gaming in Ohio must first obtain the appropriate license from the Commission. In so doing, these persons must meet the relevant standards in the state’s sports gaming control law and the rules adopted thereunder.
Business entities, except Type-C Gaming Hosts, interested in obtaining a sports gaming license should visit the Commission’s Sports Gaming Business License Page for more information. Type-C Gaming Hosts interested in obtaining a sports gaming license should visit the Commission’s Type-C Gaming Host License Page for more information. Natural persons seeking occupational licenses should visit the Commission’s Sports Gaming Occupational License Page for more information.
License Lookup A list of current sports gaming proprietor, services provider and supplier applicants or licensees is available here. A look up for Type-C host applicants or licensees is available through the state’s eLicense portal. The eLicense lookup can also be used to look up all sports gaming applicants and application statuses in between Commission meetings. Please note that most of the information contained in these applications is confidential and not subject to public disclosure. (R.C. 3775.14.)
Universal Start Date Eligibility HB 29 requires the Commission to establish application deadlines to enable consideration of applications prior to the universal start date on January 1, 2023. In compliance with HB 29, the Commission set the application window for Type-A, -B, & -C proprietors, first designated MMSPs, MSPs, and suppliers as June 15-July 15, 2022. The application window for Type-C sports gaming hosts and second designated MMSPs was July 15-August 15, 2022. Applications that are either incomplete or received outside of the applicable window are not guaranteed consideration in time to begin operations on January 1, 2023. For more information on the universal start date, application windows, and eligibility, please see the Commission’s sports gaming FAQs.
Pursuant to House Bill 263 of the 133rd General Assembly, also known as the Fresh Start Act, a list of criminal offenses for which a conviction, judicial finding of guilt, or plea of guilty may disqualify an individual from obtaining an initial license issued by the Commission can be found here.
An individual who has been convicted of any criminal offense may request, at any time, that the Commission determine whether the conviction disqualifies the individual from obtaining a license issued by the Commission. R.C. 9.78. To do so, an individual must complete the Request for Licensing Disqualification Information Form. Once completed, the Form may be sent to the Commission in any of the manners indicated on the Form. Upon receipt of a complete Form, the Commission has up to 30 days to inform the individual, based on the criminal-record information submitted, if the individual is disqualified from licensure. The Commission is not bound by this determination; if, through further investigation, the Commission determines that the individual’s criminal history differs from the information presented in the Form.
Please note that a disqualification may be, but is not guaranteed to be, overcome if the individual applying for the license or, as applicable, the individual’s employee, holds a certificate of qualification for employment issued under R.C. 2953.25 or a certificate of achievement and employability issued under R.C. 2961.22 of the Revised Code. As such, please attach and submit as part of the Request for Licensing Disqualification Form any such certificates you may have received.
Problem Gambling Helpline 800-589-9966
Senate Bill 7 provides temporary or permanent reciprocity for an individual on military duty in Ohio or that individual’s spouse if the individual holds a license to practice the trade issued by any other state or jurisdiction, the individual is in good standing in that state or jurisdiction, and the individual provides adequate proof of the military duty or the spouses’ military duty. Further, the law also instructs the Commission to expedite the licensure process for military-related individuals, including service members, veterans, and spouses or surviving spouses of service members or veterans.
The Military Status Form should accompany all sports gaming employee or sports gaming key-employee applications for individuals that fall into any of the categories mentioned above. This form, along with the required documentation, will provide the Commission with the necessary information to determine an individual’s eligibility for reciprocity or to have their license application expedited.