August Casino Revenue In Ohio Drops 3.3% Year-Over-Year

Written By Dan Holmes on October 2, 2023 - Last Updated on October 3, 2023
Slot machines at the Hollywood Casino Toledo, which was one of the four casinos combining for $82.3 million in revenue in August

In what is typically one of the slowest months of the year, August casino revenue in the Buckeye State dropped 3.3%.

Gross gaming revenue from the four Ohio casinos totaled $82.3 million in August. These numbers represent a 4.2% dip from July, but a 3.3% fall from August 2022.

Year to date, Ohio casino revenue is $680 million. This is a $2.1 million increase from a year ago or a 0.4% jump. These numbers do not include any revenue from online casinos in Ohio, as the state has yet to legalize real-money iGaming.

Slot machine revenue key to casino success

According to numbers released by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, Ohio gamblers put $766 million into slot machines in August. The properties netted $60 million from those wagers.

Therefore, August’s slot payout was 92.17%. That’s in line with the yearly average and nearly the same figure reported in July, at 97.14%.

Revenue from table games at the four casinos was $22.3 million in August, with a payout percentage of 77.3%.

The combined table drop was $98.4 million. Table drop is the “total amount converted to gaming chips on table games including table promotional,” according to the Ohio Casino Control Commission. In other words, it’s the amount of money gamblers intended to bet at the tables.

Jack Cleveland regains top position among OH casinos in revenue

Here is what the Ohio casino revenue breakdown looked like at the four properties in August:

CasinoTable Game Revenue Slot Revenue Totals
Jack Casino Cleveland $8.6 Million$13.7 Million $22.3 Million
Hollywood Casino Columbus $5.4 Million $16.7 Million $22.1 Million
Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati $6 Million $13.6 Million $19.6 Million
Hollywood Casino Toledo $2.3 Million $16 Million $18.3 Million
Totals $22.3 Million $60 Million $82.3 Million

Jack Cleveland Casino regained the title as the highest-grossing casino in Ohio. Previously, Hollywood Casino Columbus held that spot in July. But it also held that spot in April, May and June.

However, Cleveland just barely earned that title. The margin between Jack Cleveland and Hollywood Casino Columbus was less than $160,000 last month. The Cleveland facility has more than 1,600 slot machines more than 100 table games, and 28 poker tables.

Hollywood Columbus Casino reported the highest slot payout rate of 92.94%. At $182.8 million, Columbus has a narrow total revenue lead for the first eight months of the year. Jack Cleveland is second at $178.8 million.

Hard Rock Cincinnati totaled $19.6 million in August revenue. Hollywood Casino Toledo rounded out the quartet with $18.3 million in August revenue.

Projecting the rest of 2023

The Ohio casinos are on pace for a little over $1 billion in total revenue in the calendar year of 2023.

So far, through eight months, the casinos are averaging $85 million per month.

Thus, if they hold that pace, the 2023 total figure should come in at about $1.02 billion. That number would break the record set in 2022, which was $1.005 billion.

Photo by AP Photo / Mark Duncan
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Dan Holmes

Dan Holmes is a contributor for PlayOhio with plenty of experience under his belt. Dan has written three books about sports and previously worked for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball. He also has extensive experience covering the launch of sports betting in other states, including Ohio and Maryland, and the sports betting props — Prop 26 and Prop 27 — in California. Currently, Dan is residing in Michigan with his family.

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