There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the upcoming launch of legal sports betting in the region.

To quote Ross Geller from the TV show, Friends, it might be a case of "Ohio – thank you!" for operators, with the Buckeye State tipped to become potentially the best US sports betting market of the bunch in 2023.

Operators DraftKings and bet365 have already put lucrative free-bet offers in place for pre-launch, and the entrance of Genius, a notable sports data firm, adds another layer of prestige to the upcoming market launch.

The licence is Genius Sports' 39th in North America, granted by the Ohio Casino Control Commission.

Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke said: "We are honored that the state of Ohio has awarded Genius Sports its sports gaming supplier license, to provide licensed sportsbooks across the Buckeye State with access to our NFL products and marketing services.

"As a growing majority of US states legalise sports betting, Genius Sports welcomes the opportunity to work with states like Ohio, on providing sports fans with official sports data-driven solutions to power their sportsbooks.”

Massachusetts is also scheduled to go live with sports betting in early 2023 – for more on this state, check out our GI Huddle interview with Marlene Warner, CEO of the Massachusetts Council on Gaming Health.

But, for now, it's definitely Ohio's turn to take the headlines...