All About Ohio Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

We at BetOhio.com, your home for expertise on all Ohio sports betting topics, put together this guide to explain terms such as handle, revenue and tax collections.

Ohio began its legal sports betting market on Jan. 1, 2023. The Buckeye State offers a variety of operators, and ways to bet, like no other jurisdiction. Ohio has more than two dozen outlets for either online or retail sportsbooks, with the latter being located mostly at casinos or racinos (the term for racetracks with slot machines). Ohio also offers hundreds of sports betting kiosks at businesses around the state.

Many professional sports teams in Ohio have partnerships with national sports betting brands to operate online sportsbooks. For instance, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets partner with Fanatics, MLB's Cleveland Guardians have a deal with Bet365 Ohio Sportsbook and even Muirfield Village Golf Club got in on the action, teaming with Parx Interactive.

As is the case in every state that offers legal, regulated sports betting, the vast majority of wagers are placed by folks using online operators to place bets at of Ohio sportsbook apps, using their smart phones, laptops or desktop computers.

In addition to those pro sports teams and facilities that have joined with online operators, there are retail sports betting outlets for in-person betting. The Cincinnati Reds have a retail BetMGM Sportsbook in Ohio and the Cleveland Cavaliers have a similar partnership with Caesars. The state’s four casinos and seven racinos also each have partnerships for retail sportsbooks.

Ohio Sports Betting, January vs. December

January was a big month for Ohio sports as the Ohio State Buckeyes captured the first college football championship of the 12-team playoff era. It also was a big month for Ohio sports betting as well.

For just the third time since the state launched sports betting on Jan. 1, 2023, Ohio sports bettors wagered more than $1 billion in a month. The all-sources handle for January was $1,012,283,327, a 5% increase from the $964,442,625 wagered in December.

The state’s 14 mobile operators accounted for 98% of the handle, and the $992,185,583 in betting traffic was a 5.1% improvement from the $943,951,007 reported to the Ohio Casino Control Commission for December.

Sportsbooks also celebrated January as they reported revenues totaling $80,198,591. Mobile operators generated $80,470,686 in revenue.

Similarly, Ohio saw a boost to its coffers thanks to the increased sportsbook revenue. The state’s 20% sports betting tax generated $16,227,409 for the state in January, compared to $11,412,551 in December – a difference of 42.2%.

On a year-to-year basis, wagering was up substantially, as January’s handle increased 27.8% from the $792,061,204 wagered during January 2024. At the same time, though, the higher handle did not lead to higher revenues. Instead, sportsbooks saw a 27.5% decline in winnings from the $110,623,861 they reported for the same month last year.

Among Ohio sports betting operators, FanDuel reported the largest handle at $358,607,237, followed by DraftKings’ $321,919,091. Bet365 accepted $82,985,610 in wagers, while BetMGM took $71,900,808 in bets. Fanatics’ handle for January was $37,935,749. 

Ohio Mobile Sports Betting History