The Ohio Slate is a weekly look at developments in Ohio’s gaming industry – including betting angles – as the state prepares to launch legal sportsbooks on Jan. 1, 2023.
Ohio Lottery Commission Director Pat McDonald has spoken about the decision to modify the rule on sports wager payouts after stakeholders made their complaints heard.
Bars and restaurant owners were worried that Rule 3-8-02 would require Type C sports betting license establishments to keep too much money onsite to cover large payouts. This raised concerns about safety and fear of being put at risk of robbery. Stakeholders also didn’t like the rule limiting sports bettors to exclusively collecting payouts at the site where the winning ticket was purchased.
The commissioner believes the tweaking of the rule, which will give bettors the option to cash a winning ticket at any lottery retailer, addresses payout concerns.
“We have clarified Rule 3770:3-8-02 to make explicitly clear that Type C proprietors may allow non-host locations (all lottery retailers) to cach sports gaming prizes if they choose to do so,” McDonald wrote in a note to Ohio General Assembly members. “This was always the Lottery’s intention, but is now clarified in rule to avoid stakeholder confusion on this issue.”
Sports betting is scheduled to commence in Ohio on the universal start date set for Jan. 1, 2023.
Reds playing on Field of Dreams
The highlight of the 2022 Major League Baseball season for the Cincinnati Reds will occur Thursday night when they take on the Chicago Cubs in the second edition of the MLB “Field of Dreams” game.
A year ago, the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees played in the inaugural contest on a field surrounded by cornfields in Dyersville, Iowa, which is where the classic sports movie starring Kevin Costner was filmed in the 1980s. Simply put, the White Sox-Yankees midsummer meeting was a big-league hit. The game produced eight home runs, including Chicago’s all-star shortstop Tim Anderson’s walk-off, two-run moonshot that landed in the stalks just outside the outfield wall to give the White Sox a 9-8 win.
Not much to be excited about the @Reds this baseball season. But looking forward to watching tonight. pic.twitter.com/LHawUzL9qL
— Scott Brakefield (@SBrakefield) August 11, 2022
The odds of the Reds and Cubs producing similar thrills and excitement as last year’s game are highly unlikely. The Reds (44-66) and Cubs (45-65) enter the game as two of the worst teams in the National League. The White Sox and Yankees were two of the top teams in the American League when they met, and both went on to play in the postseason.
With no playoff hopes in sight for Cincinnati, which trails NL Central leader St. Louis by 17 games, a Field of Dreams victory could serve as a momentum builder heading down the stretch. BetMGM, PointsBet and FanDuel sportsbooks have the Reds as underdogs and the over/under for the game at nine runs.
Guardians alone at top of AL Central
In their first season with a new team name, the Cleveland Guardians (58-52) are atop the AL Central with 52 games remaining in the regular season, owning a one-game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central entering Thursday afternoon’s contest at Detroit.
Can the Guardians, whose name change was met with some resistance by many Cleveland fans, hold on to win the division? PointsBet has odds of +150 on the Twins prevailing in the division, while the sportsbook has odds of +180 on the Guardians and +200 on Chicago to win the AL Central. BetMGM has odds of +145 on the Twins winning the division, followed by odds of +195 on the White Sox and +200 on the Guardians.
Serena making final stop in Ohio
Serena Williams announced earlier in the week that she was hanging up her tennis racket after playing in the upcoming U.S. Open. The Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati takes place next week (Aug. 13-21) and it’s a tournament that the 40-year-old Williams and her older sister, Venus, 42, have both played singles at in six previous years, but have never played each other.
It would be fitting for the two to end up facing each other this time. After all, Serena, winner of 23 Grand Slam tournaments, will apparently be making her last appearance in a tennis tournament held in Ohio. On the other hand, Venus, a seven-time winner of Grand Slam tourneys, has not announced any plans to call it quits.
ICYMI: What happened in Ohio gaming this week
Evan Mobley’s Defensive Player Of The Year Candidacy Attracts Bettors’ Attention
Concerns With Payout Rule Compel Ohio Grocers To Seek Tweak
Ohio Casinos, Racinos Bring In $206.7 Million In July, Short Of July 2021 Totals
Bengals, Browns Enter Preseason With High Hopes For 2022, Mixed Odds For Friday
Image: Blundell Designs
