Ohio’s casinos are officially back.
After four months of struggling to push past $85 million in revenue, the state’s quartet of land-based casinos combined for $85.7 million in August. Compared to Ohio’s July 2024 casino figures, revenue was up 4.6%.
Ohio revenue reports do not include online casinos because they are not legal. However, that might change in the next year.
Key takeaways
- A bill filed in the Ohio legislature this past month could kickstart the online casino conversation.
- Ohio land-based casino revenue rose 4.6% compared to July.
- Total win passed $85 million for the first time in five months.
Ohio online casino bill may not pass, but starting the conversation is key
Ohio Sen. Niraj Antani submitted a bill last month to legalize online casinos, giving the state’s 11 casinos and racinos each one iGaming license. While Niraj was certain the bill would fail, he told PlayUSA he hoped it would spark a conversation that would lead to legalization.
From a revenue standpoint, that conversation is critical. Ohio casino operators and state programs are missing considerable revenue because online casinos are banned.
There’s a good chance Ohio online casinos would bring in at least twice the revenue that the state’s land-based casinos generate if they were legal. For example, PlayUSA estimates that iGaming in the Buckeye State could’ve brought in $207.3 million.
August online casino revenue | Population (according to 2023 Census Bureau data) | Per-capita revenue | |
---|---|---|---|
Pennsylvania | $225 million | 13 million | $17.31 |
New Jersey | $198.4 million | 9.3 million | $21.33 |
Michigan | $196.7 million | 10 million | $19.67 |
Connecticut | $44.6 million | 3.6 million | $12.39 |
West Virginia | $20.4 million | 1.8 million | $11.33 |
Delaware | $5.8 million | 1 million | $5.80 |
Rhode Island | $3 million | 1.1 million | $2.73 |
Average | $99.1 million | 5.69 million | $17.42 |
Ohio (projected) | $207.3 million | 11.9 million | $17.42 |
August’s online casino revenue projection stands out for two main reasons.
First, Ohio would be the second-largest iGaming market in the country if online casinos were legal. Second, iGaming revenue would’ve more than doubled what the state earned from its land-based properties, pushing total casino revenue to nearly $300 million.
All four casinos see positive revenue growth in August
Just two months ago, Ohio casinos were trudging through the summer as they carried across-the-board losses from May to June. However, the trudging is over.
According to Ohio Casino Control Commission data, the Buckeye State’s casino quarter threw down a four-of-a-kind this past month: all four casinos grew revenue month on month:
Casino | July total revenue | June total revenue | % change |
---|---|---|---|
Jack Cleveland | $22,763,277 | $19,704,955 | 7.37% |
Hollywood Columbus | $23,467,266 | $23,411,020 | 5.57% |
Hard Rock Cincinnati | $20,256,969 | $20,227,940 | 3.00% |
Hollywood Toledo | $19,205,155 | $18,245,984 | 1.81% |
Total | $85,692,667 | $81,589,899 | 4.55% |
Jack Cleveland led the charge from July to August with 7.4% growth, followed by Hollywood Columbus and Hard Rock Cincinnati. Total revenue from all properties was up more than $4 million month-on-month, good for a 4.6% increase.