Ohio: Hall of Fame Village secures licenses to offer mobile and retail sports betting

Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment (HOFV) announced Wednesday the company is moving forward with its sports betting plans and village destination development in Canton, Ohio. The resort and entertainment company has secured conditional approval from the state for mobile and retail sportsbooks at the Hall of Fame Village, a multi-use sports and entertainment destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame's campus.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission provided the required authorization for HOFV to gain licensing for a physical sports operation and an online betting platform, under Ohio's sports betting law HB29. Sports betting will become legal in Ohio on New Year's Day, 2023, when anyone in the state of legal betting age can place wagers.

Michael Crawford, HOFV president and CEO, said: "The legalization of sports betting in Ohio opens up a breadth of opportunity across our company's three business verticals and for our fans. We will have the only physical sportsbook in Stark County and the first dedicated sports micro-betting platform via the Betr mobile app, bringing fans and guests a multitude of different and new ways to experience sports entertainment."

.@HOFRECO Secures Approval for Sports Betting Licenses ✅ The #HOFV BetRivers Sportsbook location will be the only physical sports book in Stark County, while @betr will offer the first direct-to-consumer platform solely dedicated to sports micro betting in Ohio. https://t.co/EBztrnNqwa

— Hall of Fame Village (@HOFVillage) November 2, 2022

HOFV previously announced 10-year partnerships with Rush Street Interactive (RSI) as its official retail sports-betting partner and Betr, founded by sports betting veteran Joey Levy and media mogul Jake Paul, as its official mobile sports-betting partner.

The HOFV/RSI retail sportsbook will be named "BetRivers Sportsbook", and will be located at the Hall of Fame Village's Fan Engagement Zone, a sports and entertainment-themed promenade. The Fan Engagement Zone will offer rooftop views of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and will be an "active hub for guests to go before, during, and after events to have fun, dine, and socialize," according to the company.

"The HOFV/Betr mobile sportsbook will help further enhance the fan experience by offering consumers a seamless way to place their bets online throughout Ohio," the company noted.

The Betr app takes sports prop betting "to a whole new level" by introducing micro-betting, which will enable consumers to bet on nearly every moment of every live sporting event "all done simply and instantly from the palm of their hand," according to HOFV.