CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio’s sports-betting companies saw a 82% increase in revenue from sports gambling in September, coinciding with the start of the regular NFL season and the first full month of college football.
Combined, the companies took in nearly $692 million of bets, according to data compiled from the Ohio Casino Control and Ohio Lottery commissions, an increase from $380 million in August. After paying out winnings and voided wagers, the companies generated $81.6 million in revenue.
This makes September the third-highest month in 2023 in terms of the bets placed, trailing only March ($739 million) and January ($1.1 billion). In total, Ohioans have placed over $5 billion in bets in 2023. Sports betting became legal in Ohio on Jan. 1.
Betting slowed in the spring and summer, without football, but the reason why cannot be shown by the data. Ohio does not require sports-betting companies to report sport-specific data.
Ohio’s 20 mobile-betting apps took in most of the action, with a combined $668 million in bets and $79 million in revenue, a massive increase from August’s reporting of $364 million in bets and $39 million in revenue. One new digital sportsbook, Prime Sports, started accepting wagers in September.
The state’s 16 in-person betting lounges took in $22 million in bets and came away with just over $2 million in revenue. One betting lounge did not report revenue in September.
The Lottery’s betting kiosks, found in bars and restaurants, took in nearly $1.3 million of bets and had $104,000 in revenue.
Two sports-betting companies were in the red in August. The Cleveland Guardians sportsbook in downtown Cleveland and the Fanatics sportsbook in Columbus both posted negative revenue in September, according to the Casino Control Commission’s monthly report.
The casino commission released its September revenue numbers on Tuesday. Separately, the lottery commission released its report covering gaming kiosks in mid-October.
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators do not influence news coverage. See the operator site for terms and conditions. If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
Zachary Smith is the data reporter for cleveland.com. You can reach him at [email protected]. See previous data stories at this link.