January began a new era in the Buckeye State with Ohio sports betting launching on New Year’s Day.
And just as 2023 began with a notable event in Ohio gaming, 2022 ended on another one.
The four Ohio casinos combined for more than $1 billion in revenue for the just-concluded calendar year, clearing the 10-figure barrier for the first time and breaking the state record set in 2021.
December Casino Figure Up From November
Mobile Ohio sportsbook apps got underway in January, as did brick-and-mortar retail locations that also had sports betting ready to go with the turn of the calendar.
And even as folks anticipated wagering on sports in Ohio, they did not stop frequenting casinos in December.
The casinos in Ohio — JACK Cleveland, Hollywood Columbus, Hard Rock Cincinnati and Hollywood Toledo — combined for $83,804,210 in revenue for the final month of 2022, up 6.5% from $78,675,510 in November.
That rally in December enabled the state’s casinos to tally $1,005,200,879 in revenue for the calendar year, topping the previous year’s record of $983.7 million, the Ohio Casino Control Commission reported.
In the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic, 2019, the casinos accounted for about $851 million in statewide revenue.
JACK Cleveland led the state in casino revenue for December at $23.57 million, a bump of almost $3 million from the November Ohio casino revenue report. Hollywood Columbus ($21.78 million), Hard Rock Cincinnati ($20.29 million) and Hollywood Toledo ($18.16 million) also had revenue increases from November.
Racinos in Buckeye State Also Rise
The seven racinos (racetracks with slot machines) combined for $109,187,132 in the last month of 2022, a 4.0% increase in a month-over-month comparison with November ($104.97 million), according to the Ohio Lottery.
Six of those seven racinos had revenue increases for December compared to November. MGM Northfield Park led the state with $24.22 million in December revenue, followed in the top three by Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs in Columbus ($19.38 million) and Miami Valley Gaming in Lebanon ($19.28 million).
The other racinos in Ohio recorded December revenue as follows: JACK Thistledown in Cleveland ($14.59 million), Hollywood Mahoning Valley in Youngstown ($13.156M), Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway ($12.21M) and Belterra Park in Cincinnati ($6.35M). Belterra Park was the only gaming facility to experience a decrease, down from $6.66 million in November.
In addition to the casinos themselves, the Ohio Casino Control Commission also oversees the new sports betting program — including the mobile operators that offer Ohio sportsbook promo codes — in the state.
