Ohio Casinos, Racinos See Revenues Dip Slightly in July

Ohio’s gaming venues suffered a down month in July, bringing in a total of $197.4 million in revenue, down from $203.5 million in winnings during the same month in 2023. The 11 casinos and racinos statewide combined to be down 3.0 percent year-over-year, with declines both in full casinos and the race track facilities that primarily offer video lottery terminals (VLTs).

All Casinos See Revenue Declines Compared to 2023

The four casinos in Ohio brought in just under $82 million in total for July, down 4.6 percent compared to 2023, according to the Ohio Casino Control Commission. All four casinos suffered similar declines, with the largest drop off belonging to the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. The Hard Rock brought in $19.7 million in July, down 6.3 percent year-over-year.

Results were more mixed for the state’s racinos, according to numbers provided by the Ohio Lottery. While the seven facilities were down 1.8 percent compared to the previous July, three of the racinos saw their winnings grow in 2024, with Hollywood 
Mahoning Valley gaining 5.2 percent to bring in $14.5 million in revenue for the month.

Both casinos and racinos enjoyed slight month-over-month gains when compared to June. Overall, the racinos and casinos have brought in about $1.4 billion for the first seven months of 2024, almost exactly on par with their totals from 2023.

Ohio Sportsbooks Making Up for Slow Start to 2024

In terms of sports betting, Ohio continues to be a growth market. The state brought in $55.1 million in revenue from sportsbooks, with $53.5 million of that total coming from online betting. That’s up a massive 48.3 percent from the $37.1 million bookmakers won from bettors in July 2023. 

However, the sports betting sites aren’t bringing in enough money to catch up to last year’s pace. In 2023, the sportsbooks got out to an incredibly fast start in January, winning over $208.5 million, ultimately leading the state to take in $933.3 million for the year. So far in 2024, Ohio sportsbooks have made $490.7 million, not quite up to the $576.1 million they had won through July 2023.