The Ohio Casino Control Commission agreed to have “Batch 4” of its proposed sports betting rules formally filed with the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) Office on Wednesday during its second commission meeting in April.
Batch 4, which was originally made available for public comment on Feb. 22, concerns sports gaming supplier and employee licensing, house rules, and Type-A, Type-B, and Type-C duties by proprietor. Batch 1 and Batch 2 of five total batches of proposed sports gaming rules have already been filed with the CSI.
Legalized sports betting in Ohio became a reality when Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB29 on Dec. 22. The commission has been holding meetings twice a month in order to have sports betting available in Ohio by the end of year, as the law requires.
Batch 4 rules moving forward
The commission’s decision to have Batch 4 formally filed with CSI takes place only weeks after proposed revisions were made following the second round of comments on rules for Type-B proprietor duties addressing sports gaming facility cashiering. Concerns dealt with how the cashiering duties would be staffed and supervised.
Also, updated rules stated that Type-B sports gaming proprietors would be required to utilize an automated cash management system approved by the executive director, or alternative procedures would be installed and managed by the executive editor. Additionally, rules were added for Type-B proprietors concerning sports gaming facility design and inspections.
Thanks to the diligent work of its casino control commission, #Ohio remains on pace to launch sports betting by year's end, reports @hoosier3232 https://t.co/CNRtDRU12w @BetsOhio
— US Bets (@US_Bets) March 29, 2022
The main updates to proposed house rules that came after a second round of comments from stakeholders addressed making them “readily available and easily accessible” on the sports gaming proprietor’s website, mobile application, and within its facilities.
It was noted that the rules on security and surveillance for sports betting basically “mirror” the rules for casino security and surveillance. However, only one security guard would be required to tend to sports gaming areas.
Furthermore, it was noted that a 14-day surveillance retention period would be required for sports gaming areas, compared to a 30-day surveillance retention period for casinos. The difference in the surveillance retention time is due to fewer instances when “people are changing cash hand-to-hand” in sports gaming areas compared to casinos.
Code of conduct
The commission also approved a couple of code of conduct guidelines related to the sports gaming platform.
First off, commission members would be prohibited from having any affiliation with sports gaming proprietors, mobile management service proprietors, and management service proprietors that will be licensed under the new regulatory sports betting platform. Commission members and employees would also be prohibited from participating in sports gaming in Ohio and globally with any jurisdiction, entity, or person that is directly or indirectly licensed in sports gaming in Ohio.
