Gaming + Sports Betting

Compliance + Licensing

Case Studies

Developing Better Rules for Ohio SBAM Regulation

The General Assembly, in an attempt to thwart the rise of illegal casinos, authorized the Casino Control Commission to regulate skill-based amusement games. Because of the broad scope of games captured by the new law, the CCC’s rules regulated SBAMs traditionally operated within family entertainment venues patronized by children. Our client operated dozens of family entertainment centers, and the draft of new rules would have required thousands of dollars in registration fees, over-regulation and compliance issues as collateral damage. 

The purpose of the law was not to regulate SBAMs used by children of tender years who were clearly not gambling. On behalf of our client, we worked with the regulators to develop better rules, appropriate exemptions and reasonable fees to address a multitude of issues to narrow the scope to the regulator’s intended target.