Ohio’s July Gambling Revenues Up From June

July marked a significant month for Ohio’s gaming industry, with casinos and sports betting platform revenues improving on the previous month.

The state’s four commercial casinos collectively generated more than $85 million, a rise from June’s $82.8 million, as reported in the latest figures from the Ohio Casino Control Commission.

Meanwhile, Ohio sports betting operators also saw a modest increase, with revenues jumping from $32.6 million in June to $37.1 million in July. The total handle fell, but after sports bettors across the U.S. did well against the house in June, things settled down a bit in July and revenues were up.

The most popular Ohio brick and mortar casino for the month was Hollywood Columbus Casino, which generated the highest revenue among the state’s casinos at $23.1 million.

As usual, online sports betting dominated the retail market.

Casino Revenues Consistent

Hollywood Columbus has maintained a steady performance throughout 2023, with its $23 million July revenue figure falling between its average monthly range of $21 million to $24 million.

JACK Cleveland brought in $22.1 million over July, with Hard Rock Cincinnati Casino earning $21 million and Hollywood Toledo Casino reporting $20 million.

By the end of July, Hollywood Casino’s total gaming revenue for the year reached $160.1 million, slightly surpassing JACK Cleveland Casino’s $157 million.

These figures indicate a 3.8% monthly increase in combined slots and table games revenue among the state’s casinos overall, amounting to $86 million. However, when compared year-on-year, there was a 3.1% decline.

DraftKings Gains Top Spot in Sports Betting, Betr Struggles

July was also significant month for sports betting in Ohio.

The state’s 18 online sportsbooks collectively generated $319 million in handle, which was down on July. But the hold percentage and revenues were up almost 12%.

Online sportsbooks continue to dominate, as reflected nationally. Online operators posted nearly 30 times the $11.5 million wagered at Ohio brick & mortar sportsbooks

In the first seven months of 2023, online sports betting platforms amassed over $563 million in revenue, compared to the $13 million at retail venues.

DraftKings Sportsbook, in collaboration with Hollywood Toledo, was the most popular with Ohio’s bettors in July, reporting $116.2 million in handle. This marked a changeover at the top, where FanDuel Sportsbook has previously occupied the top position consistently. In July, FanDuel reported $107 million in overall wagers, a decrease from June’s $120 million.

Bet365, the British operator that is busily expanding into U.S. markets, took third place with a $23.5 million handle, just ahead of BetMGM with $22.97 million.

The least popular online sports betting operator in Ohio for the month was once again Betr. It pulled in $312k in overall handle for the month, making just $30,000 in revenues.

Despite being the home-state of its superstar cofounder Jake Paul, the initially hyped sports betting app has consistently bottomed out the revenue charts in Ohio, as well as other states it operates in.

Future Market Moves

Fanatics, the sports betting arm of the leading U.S. sports merchandise seller, handily outperformed Betr (and many others) despite officially being in a limited beta state throughout the month.

Fanatics properly launched its Ohio app in August, alongside two new retail sportsbooks in Ohio. The Fanatics retail stores in Columbus and Cleveland will debut on August’s figures after opening midway through the month.

One notable absence from July’s sports betting figures was Bally BET. The struggling sportsbook app, owned by national casino operator Bally’s, was offline for the whole month while it set up its relaunch with developers Kambi and White Hat.

Bally BET will only have one day present on Ohio’s upcoming figures for August, as it only relaunched in the state August 30.