Sports fans in Ohio are looking forward to next year. That's when the state will officially legalize sports betting.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission announced Jan. 1, 2023, will be the universal start date for sports gambling in the state.
WTOL 11 spoke with Adam Suliman from JACK Entertainment in Cleveland, which is on the clock when it comes to getting ready for Ohio gamblers.
"There's a ton of energy and effort being focused on the digital product development. The sports application, the mobile app, and the websites have to be developed," Suliman said.
The now confirmed date gives casinos and other businesses a specific time frame to work.
"That's helpful for us to have a deadline to shoot for. Fortunately, that allows us to continue to develop and refine our product," the senior vice president of sports and digital said.
Suliman says sports betting wouldn't be seen as a major revenue source, but rather a traffic driver to the casino on gamedays.
"The economic output is really going to come from the traffic that's driven to the sportsbook," Suliman said.
Suliman says the taxable revenue to the Ohio economy will be significant.
"We expect Ohio will generate half a billion dollars in sports betting revenue per year once the industry has matured. So it's not an insignificant part of the economy, that's for sure," Suliman said.
It's a product casinos are excited to offer, and Ohioans are excited to use come January.
"We're excited to offer it. Our customers and my friends are sure excited to start using it that's for sure," Suliman said.
Any businesses looking to offer sports betting will have the opportunity to apply with the state starting June 15.