Although they are still 11 months away from the launch of legal sports betting in Ohio, residents are getting ready for the big day with the help of Jack Entertainment.
Jack Entertainment is a gaming, hospitality, and entertainment company based in Cleveland. The company operates two casinos in the state, Jack Cleveland Casino and Jack Thistledown Racino.
While the sports betting launch doesn’t happen for almost another year, Jack Entertainment is planning to launch sportsbooks in both locations.
Adam Suliman, Jack’s vice president of online gaming, said:
“I would categorize it as Vegas lite. I think it’s going to be every bit as exciting you know during March Madness or certainly the Super Bowl than you would see in Vegas.”
Jack Entertainment has already launched its website, betJACK.com, which is currently filled with sports news and highlights. However, something special about the website is what they call the “betJACK training camp.”
What is the betJACK training camp?
The betJACK training camp is a way for prospective Ohio sports bettors to better understand the sports gaming world before they dive in headfirst.
Suliman says:
“Anybody who has walked up to a blackjack table who has never played before can tell that can be a bit intimidating. So the way we view our job now is to help educate and sort of train customers, provide a training camp if you will, to help people understand how this type of gambling works…”
You can go check out the training camp right now, and the first thing you will notice is all the resources they put at your disposal. They have several articles, explaining all of the following betting terms:
- Spread
- Moneyline
- Over/Under
- Pick ‘Em
- Parlay
- Prop Bet
- Futures Bet
- Run-in
However, things don’t stop there. In the future, betJACK plans on launching a “pretend” sportsbook where bettors can place bets, just not with real money. You don’t win anything, and you don’t lose anything.
Suliman continues:
“Primarily the goal is just to help customers get their feet wet a little bit. And get some reps in before real money starts flying around. Hopefully we get them comfortable with not only our product but just the industry in general.”
The future of sports betting in Ohio
The House Bill that legalized sports betting in Ohio was officially signed in December 2021, but residents won’t be able to place wagers until Jan. 1, 2023.
The Ohio Legislative Service Commission estimates that sports gambling will produce more than $3.35 billion in revenue every year by the end of the decade. There will be a 10% tax on all net revenue, with 98% of that going towards public and private k-12 school funding.
While Ohio residents won’t be able to bet on their Bengals in this year’s Super Bowl, they’ll be able to bet on next year’s game – so many are hoping for a repeat appearance.
