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.
| Total handle | Mobile handle | Revenue |
August | $548.678M | $534.882M | $48.612M |
July | $477.477M | $466.646M | $55.089M |
Change | Up 14.9% | Up 14.6% | Down 11.8% |
Football season is a big deal among Ohio sports fans. It’s pretty important for Ohio sports betting operators as well.
Even though August only brought us one full week of college football games and preseason games in the NFL, the eighth month of 2024 was a boost for Ohio sportsbooks, according to a report from the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
August’s total sports betting handle was $548,677,540, up 14.9% from July, when the amount of wagers accepted was $477,476,776. What’s more, the August handle was a 44.6% increase from 12 months earlier, when sportsbooks in the state combined for $379,531,071.
As always, the bulk of the action came from mobile sports wagering, called Type A proprietors. That handle was $534,881,912, up 14.6% from July ($466,646,407) and up 46.8% from August 2023 ($364,332,898). Total handle derives from three sources: Online betting, retail (brick-and-mortar casinos) and hundreds of kiosks at stores around the state.
The total sports betting revenue from mobile and retail combined fell 11.8% in a month-over-month comparison, from $55,089,099 in July to $48,611,948. But the revenue rose 19.4% compared to August 2023 ($40,711,718).
The top five operators in handle for the month were DraftKings Sportsbook Ohio ($178,849,052), FanDuel ($165,697,906), Bet365 ($59,412,929), BetMGM ($38,214,373) and Fanatics ($23,837,169).
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