Ohio sports betting has been a formidable force in the legal sports betting industry since its inception, and April marked a major milestone month.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) reported a $673.2 million handle in April, which helped the state eclipse $10 billion in bets just 16 months after the legal market launched on Jan. 1, 2023. The Arizona sports betting market had previously held the industry record for fewest months to reach the $10 billion mark, reaching that milestone in 20 months in April 2023.
Ohio also became just one of 12 states to surpass $10 billion in lifetime handle. Tennessee sports betting was the 11th to do so.
Performance metrics
April’s handle only topped February’s $671.1 million while both January and March saw more than $800 million wagered, respectively. Ohio sportsbooks bounced back in the revenue column though with $73.9 million thanks to a 10.98% hold. Revenue fell month-over-month in March, and January’s $113.1 million takes the cake for the best revenue haul this fiscal year so far. Operators have posted double-digit holds in three of the four months of 2024, and in 13 of 16 months overall.
Sports betting in Ohio generated $14.8 million in tax revenue in April, which brings the year-to-date total to $63.9 million. This is $18.7 million better than the same period in 2023, aided by Governor Mike DeWine’s decision to increase the tax rate to 20% last summer.
Buckeye State bettors wagered $520.6 million in April 2023 while hauling in $63.7 million, so the market enjoyed year-over-year growth in the month of April overall. Year to date, Ohio sports betting operators have collected $2.96 billion in wagers, a slight 1.6% decrease year-over-year from when the market came out really hot in its first four months of legal betting last year.
Best sportsbooks in Ohio
Of all bets in April, 97.6% were cast via Ohio online sports betting sites. Online sportsbooks in Ohio reported a $657.1 million handle and $72.8 million in taxable revenue. Online handle declined month-over-month from March’s $784.8 million, but revenue for online operators improved MoM from $62.2 million thanks to a healthier 11.1% win percentage.
FanDuel reigned supreme amongst the best online sportsbooks in Ohio in April, claiming top performance in handle ($226.7 million), revenue ($33.98 million), and hold ($14.99%).
DraftKings was the only other online operator to record a nine-figure handle in April with $216.8 million and also was the only other online operator to surpass eight figures in revenue with $20.8 million.
bet365 and BetMGM each surpassed $40 million in handle. ESPN BET topped $35 million, to round out the Top 5 handle numbers.
| Operator | April Online Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | $226.7 million | $33.98 million |
| DraftKings | $216.8 million | $20.8 million |
| bet365 | $48.9 million | $5.1 million |
| BetMGM | $45.2 million | $3.9 million |
| ESPN BET | $35.8 million | $3.2 million |
| Caesars Sportsbook | $27.9 million | $1.3 million |
| Fanatics | $21.8 million | $1.8 million |
These seven Ohio online sportsbooks were the only operators to generate more than $1 million in monthly revenue in April. Tipico was the only operator outside of those listed above to collect more than $5 million in bets with its $6.7 million handle.
Retail operators collected $16.1 million in wagers and generated $1.2 million in revenue from April’s activity.
Ohio casino gaming
Casino gaming in Ohio declined month-over-month in revenue, with April’s final tally coming in at $83.5 million, falling over $11 million shy of March’s $94.8 million.
Hollywood Columbus took top honors for April’s casino performance, churning $23.2 million in casino gaming revenue while also collecting the best retail sportsbook handle out of any of the retail sportsbook sites in Ohio with a $2.8 million retail handle.
