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, September vs. August

Ohio Sports Betting Handle and Revenue: September 2024

While September may not have been a month to remember for either the Cleveland Browns or the Cincinnati Bengals, that was not the case for Ohio sports betting operators.

According to figures released by the Ohio Casino Control Commission on Oct. 31, bettors wagered $864,256,366 during September. Not only is that a 57.5% increase from August’s $548,685,159, but it also represents a 25% improvement upon the $691,660,975 in wagers operators accepted during September 2023.

Online wagers accounted for 97.5% of the September handle, or $842,350,399. That’s up 57.5% from August’s $534,889,531 and 26.1% from the online handle of $668,094,086 in a year-over-year comparison with September 2023.

Retail and kiosk wagering also rose significantly on a month-to-month basis. The $20,658,231 bet at the 14 brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at casinos and other locations was up 59% from the $12,989,535 wagered there in August. Ohio’s unique kiosk wagering totaled $1,247,736, up 54.8% from $806,093 from August in a month-over-month comparison.

However, betting traffic at sportsbooks and kiosks dropped slightly from September 2023’s totals. Brick-and-mortar sites were down 7.6% from the $22,355,679 a year ago, while the kiosk handle fell 2.7% from the $1,282,062 those operators accepted 12 months earlier.

Sportsbook revenues more than doubled on a month-to-month basis. Retail and online operators combined to win $105,647,096. That was a 117.3% increase from August’s $48,619,567 and 29.6% better than the $81,536,888 they reported a year earlier. Online operators accounted for 97% of the winnings, or $102,419,019.

As the operators won more, Ohio did too. The state’s 20% sports betting tax generated $21,233,581 for September.

DraftKings was the state’s top operator for the month, as the Boston-based sports betting app reported a handle of $308,700,789. FanDuel accepted $275,996,686 in wagers, followed by $68,008,511 for bet365, then BetMGM’s $52,432,178 and the $35,573,123 collected by Fanatics Ohio Sportsbook for the month.

Ohio Mobile Sports Betting History