Ohio Racino Snaps Trend In December With Second-Best Month Of 2023

Written By C.J. Pierre on January 10, 2024 - Last Updated on January 11, 2024
A picture of a curved arrow going up for a story about how the Ohio racino revenue rebounded in December to end 2023.

The streak is over. After four consecutive months of decline, Ohio racinos rebounded substantially in December, raking in the second-highest monthly revenue of the year and ended 2023 with a bang.

Ohio racinos are a crucial piece of the Ohio gambling landscape. Unlike the four Las Vegas-style Ohio casinos, bettors can only play slot machines and wager on horse races at the Buckeye State’s seven racinos. Horse races can be wagered on through both live races and simulcast betting.

Ohio online casinos could come in the future. But there is no legislative movement on them yet.

According to numbers released by the Ohio Lottery, racinos won $120.3 million from gamblers in December. That’s a 13.9% increase from November’s winnings. December brought Ohio racinos the most winnings since the $125.1 million generated in March, the only other month of the year to top the $120 million range.

In 2023, racinos won a total of $1.37 billion from gamblers. Racino handle for the year was more than $14 billion.

December was largest racing revenue jump of 2023

There was a fear that the downward trend in Ohio racino revenue was becoming a pattern. But much like the holiday boost racinos got in 2022, the Buckeye State’s racinos got that same boost in 2023 and then some.

December’s racino net winnings were $14.7 million more than November’s. That’s the biggest month-over-month increase of the entire year. The next highest jump came from February to March, a $10.7 million increase.

Ohio racinos also saw an increase in year-over-year earnings. December 2023 brought in $11.2 million more than December 2022. That’s a 10.2% increase in net winnings year-over-year.

Ohio racino revenue comparison

Ohio RacinoDecember 2023 Net WinningsNovember 2023 Net WinningsDecember 2022 Net Winnings
MGM Northfield Park$27.1 Million$23.6 Million$24.2 Million
Miami Valley Gaming$22 Million$19.1 Million$19.2 Million
Eldorado Scioto Downs$19.3 Million$16.9 Million$19.3 Million
JACK Thistledown Racetrack$16.5 Million$14.5 Million$14.5 Million
Hollywood Dayton$14.2 Million$12.3 Million$12.2 Million
Hollywood Mahoning Valley$13.6 Million$12.5 Million$13.1 Million
Belterra Park$7.4 Million$6.4 Million$6.3 Million
Total$120.3 Million$105.6 Million$109. Million

All seven Ohio racinos see an increase in business in December 2023

A few things stick out when looking at the Ohio racino December 2023 revenue numbers. All seven of the state’s racinos saw an increase in month-over-month earnings and all but one of them also saw year-over-year earnings.

Eldorado Scioto Downs was the lone Ohio racino that saw a slight dip in year-over-year earnings. The venue saw a 0.04% decrease in net winnings from December 2022 to December 2023. It was a difference of just $9,022.

Meanwhile, MGM Northfield Park was once again the highest-grossing racino in Ohio, winning $27.1 million from customers in December, 22.5% of the market share. The venue also saw the biggest month-over-month increase in net winnings compared to the competition.

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C.J. Pierre

C.J. Pierre is a Lead Writer at PlayOhio. He has been covering news and sports for over a decade for both online and TV broadcasts. He was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN and is an alum of Minnesota State University: Moorhead. He recently dove into tribal casino, sports betting and online gambling news. He also covered the launch of sports betting in Arizona. C.J. has experience as a reporter and videographer and has covered high school, college and professional sports throughout his career, most notably following Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Vikings and North Dakota State University football.

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