Penn National Gaming, operator of casinos in Ohio, has reached a deal with Illinois-based Rush Street Interactive to give the latter access to the Ohio online sports betting market pending legalization.
According to the announcement of the “strategic partnership,” RSI would be able to offer its BetRivers online sports betting platform in the Buckeye State (along with Maryland and Missouri pending adoption there as well) under existing PNG casino licenses. The deal for “potential second skin” access in those states is good for 20 years. The primary skin for PNG is its Barstool Sportsbook.
“Upon and following the launch of the skins, RSI will compensate Penn National with industry-standard payments for market access,” a presser stated.
“We are pleased to gain potential market access to three new states as we continue the execution of our strategy to gain access and bring our best-in-class online gaming offerings to key markets across the United States,” Richard Schwartz, president of RSI, said in a statement.
He added that access to Ohio creates “enhanced marketing efficiencies” for the brand. BetRivers is live in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, three of Ohio’s neighbors. Kentucky to the south hasn’t legalized sports betting. Ohio, after legalization, would be expected to rival Pennsylvania’s market size.
In January, Pennsylvania online/mobile sportsbooks handled a state record $579,941,653 in bets.
Ohio lawmakers are expected to consider a sports betting proposal this year, but the efforts could stretch into 2022. Last year, legislation cleared the House but didn’t gain enough traction in the Senate.