Ohio sports bettors generated the second-highest sports amount ever wagered in a month during October. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) reported a $902.9 million handle, only behind the $1.1 billion collected in January 2023. That was the first month of sports betting in the Buckeye State.
October's handle also rose 20.8% year-over-year and is the only other amount wagered to reach $900 million.
Online and retail sports betting operators combined to produce $81.2 million in gross revenue, up a little more than 1% from October 2023 but down 23% from September. October’s 9% hold was more than three points lower than the previous month. However, the win rate is still one of the country's higher ones in a month where many states reported holds below 7% because of customer-friendly NFL outcomes.
Tax returns
Sports betting operators sent $16.3 million from their $81.5 million taxable revenue to the Buckeye State. October’s haul put Ohio over $146 million in tax revenue year-to-date.
That figure surpasses the $133 million from 2023 with two months remaining in 2024. It’s also ahead of $100 million to $135 million annual projections made when the state decided to increase the tax rate. Ohio currently imposes a 20% tax rate on sportsbooks, but a state legislator wants to return to the original 10% rate to help keep the 15 online and 14 retail operators in business.
FanDuel tops $300 million in bets
| Operator | October Handle | Revenue |
| FanDuel | $307.2 million | $34.5 million |
| DraftKings | $298 million | $25.7 million |
| bet365 | $72.2 million | $6.1 million |
| BetMGM | $59.5 million | $3.9 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $41.7 million | $3 million |
| Caesars | $29 million | $2.4 million |
Online sports betting in Ohio accounted for $881.7 million of the total handle while mobile operators spent a combined $37.7 million on promotional bets, finishing with adjusted revenue of $80.3 million.
FanDuel generated Ohio’s highest handle of $307.2 million, down about $1.5 million from September. The $34.5 million in revenue was $3 million less than the previous month’s haul, but the 11.2% hold pushed FanDuel’s double-digit win-rate streak to 11 months.
DraftKings finished second with a $298 million handle, surpassing $2 billion in the amount wagered year-to-date while also closing in on $5 billion all-time.
Third place in dollars wagered again went to bet365, which generated $72.2 million, up from September’s $68 million handle. BetMGM came in fourth with a $59.5 million handle in October while Fanatics Sportsbook rounded out the top five at $41.7 million.
Caesars edged ESPN BET by about $700,000 in handle and $400,000 in revenue. Hard Rock Bet and Prime Sports both reported handles well over $10 million.
Other Ohio news
In its second full month of Ohio operations, Betr generated its first $1 million handle, but a hold below 4% led to less than $35,000 in revenue.
Retail sportsbooks combined for a $19.7 million October handle, down slightly from September’s $20.7 million, while taxable revenue reached $1.2 million.
The OCCC recently fined DraftKings $425,000 for a pair of compliance violations. The first one involved allowing bets on college player props, which Ohio regulators banned in March. The other stemmed from permitting an unapproved funding source for sportsbook accounts.
