Sports betting won’t kick off until New Year’s Eve in Ohio, but two of the state’s biggest retail sportsbooks will open well ahead of the formal launch.
JACK Entertainment plans to open its retail sportsbooks at JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino sometime in November. That will give the gaming establishments time to introduce patrons to the new spaces and amenities before Ohio sports betting kicks off just over a month later.
JACK sportsbooks target Ohio State-Michigan football game
JACK has a specific date in mind for when it would like to open the doors to its new betJACK-branded sportsbooks: Nov. 26. That’s when the Ohio State Buckeyes host the Michigan Wolverines in an annual Big Ten rivalry game.
OSU is currently ranked No. 3 in the country, while Michigan is No. 4. Both are widely considered to be national title contenders.
That game takes place during Thanksgiving week, when northern Ohio residents will have long weekends and plenty of time to visit the sportsbooks with college and NFL football scheduled all weekend.
Impressive amenities on the way
Retail sportsbooks in Ohio will share many common traits: massive video walls, score tickers, bars, restaurants and plenty of seating.
JACK’s properties are rolling out other nice touches as well.
JACK Cleveland Casino’s 6,000-square-foot sportsbook will include the following:
- 35-by-10-foot main video wall
- 45 theater-style recliners with cell phone chargers
- 12 seats at a video poker bar
- Five betting windows and 20 self-service kiosks
- Table game pit and slot machines
- Seating for 99 patrons overall
JACK Thistledown Racino‘s 4,200-square foot sportsbook will offer a similar array of amenities:
- One 30-foot-wide video wall and 14 85-inch TVs
- An 86-foot-long score ticker
- 28 theater-style seats
- Slot machines
- Overall seating for 76 patrons
The betJACK mobile app is already up and running
Per Ohio’s sports betting law, each retail sportsbook can partner with up to two mobile apps that can take bets all across Ohio.
JACK Entertainment already launched a free-money version of its online sportsbook, the betJACK Sportsbook app. Users can currently place free-money bets on the platform using the same odds and interface that will begin taking real-money bets on Jan. 1.
“In preparation for legal sports betting in Ohio, JACK Cleveland Casino has created its own mobile sports betting product, betJACK,” Aleksandra Breault, JACK Entertainment director of public relations told PlayOhio. “Ohio-headquartered, JACK Cleveland Casino will proudly launch its homegrown betJACK app and website offering real money sports betting under its Type A license beginning January 1, 2023.”
According to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, JACK’s three other mobile sportsbook partnerships are accounted for, as JACK Cleveland has partnered with PlayUp Sportsbook and MaximBet, while JACK Thistledown will partner with WynnBet.
