Suffice it to say it has not been a vacation, especially for OCCC staff members.<\/p>\n
For a couple of minutes, Schuler took up for his licensing staffers, who he said have been slammed by repeated calls from applicants asking questions about paperwork.<\/p>\n
They seem to believe that their application and their circumstances are more important than every other applicant that we have, and that our licensing team can snap a finger and suddenly all reports will come into existence at the very same time,\u201d<\/strong> he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe constant calling takes its toll, as staff members have to research and respond to the inquiries about 16 hours a day, he said. It\u2019s taking up the time that staff members should be working on processing the applications and taking them away from their other responsibilities within the regulatory agency.<\/p>\n
Wednesday is the deadline for companies to submit key employee applications and holding company forms to the OCCC to be approved to launch on the Jan. 1 universal start date.<\/p>\n
The commission has repeatedly made that deadline known in several messages to applicants and at numerous meetings regarding the sports betting process.<\/p>\n
Other Calls Draw Ire, Too<\/h2>\n
And then there are the calls about getting on the agenda, which he likened to his kids asking in the car if they were there yet.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, an exasperated Schuler told the commissioners he had enough. He did not name names, but he clarified that the time for such calls was over.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re the cause of their own problem,\u201d <\/strong>he said. \u201cSo, there’s an American proverb that says the squeaky wheel gets the oil. At the commission, we replace squeaky wheels. I’d like, instead of looking at that proverb, for our applicants to think about Newton’s third law – For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cSo, my advice to the licensing division is every time an applicant calls with a \u2018When are we going to be on the agenda?\u2019 question, to move them to the bottom of the pile. Or, better yet, and I hope (staff) will take me up on this, instead of answering your question, I want them to forward it to myself. So I can have a nice good conversation about professional courtesy, about respect for people, respect for the process, and the genuine benefits of not acting like petulant children.\u201d<\/p>\n
First Sportsbooks Approved in Ohio<\/h2>\n
At Wednesday\u2019s meeting, the OCCC gave conditional approval to the first batch of mobile management service providers (MMSP) and management service providers (MSP). Those will partner with the proprietors and operate the online sports betting apps and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.<\/p>\n