Ranking Ohio’s 11 Casinos & Racinos By Revenue Per Square Foot

Written By C.J. Pierre on October 20, 2023
Image of table games at Hollywood Casino Toledo, as PlayOhio ranks Ohio casinos and racinos by revenue per square foot

There are several ways to determine how profitable a casino is. You can look at the total amount of bets played at a location. You can also go by how much tax revenue a casino generates.

Ohio residents have four traditional casinos. Those properties offer slot machines and table games. The state is also home to seven racinos, which only offer slot machines and horse racing.

Some venues are big and are going for a Vegas-like atmosphere. Meanwhile, others are smaller and provide a more reserved environment. However, they all have a similar goal of making the most out of the space they have to generate as much profit as possible.

PlayOhio crunched the numbers and has a ranking of the most profitable Ohio casinos and racinos in 2023 per square foot.

How we got our rankings

To keep things simple, we are only focusing on 2023. Ohio’s casinos and racinos have all opened at different times, so going by lifetime revenue would not give an accurate view of how they stack up today.

To get to our figures, we took how much revenue each location has generated so far in 2023 and divided that number by the square footage of each venue’s gaming space. It is important to note that the state’s racinos do not have table games and wagering on horse racing does not factor into these numbers.

Bar graph of the top five Ohio casinos and racinos in 2023 in terms of revenue per square foot

1. Jack Cleveland Casino: $1,788.35 per square foot

JACK Cleveland Casino in downtown Cleveland tops the list. The venue features over 100,000 square feet of space, 1,609 slot machines, 119 table games, 28 poker tables, and 35 electronic table games.

So far in 2023, the casino has generated $178,835,076 worth of revenue from slots and table games. That comes out to $1,788.35 per square foot. The venue benefits from being in the 2nd-most populated city in Ohio and being in such a high-traffic area near several other entertainment destinations.

2. Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati: $1,684.44 per square foot

Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati is a premium gambling venue in downtown Cincinnati. Cincinnati’s casino has a 100,000-square-foot gambling floor packed with roughly 1,600 slot machines, close to 100 table games and daily tournaments in the casino’s poker room.

From January to August, the casino generated $168,444,294 in revenue. That’s $1,684.44 per square foot. Similarly to JACK Cleveland, Hard Rock Cincy is in a prime location and sees a ton of foot traffic.

3. Jack Thistledown Racino: $1,475.33 per square foot

As the first Ohio racino on the list, the JACK Thistledown Racino is a horse racing and gambling facility on the outskirts of Cleveland. The venue hosts live thoroughbred and simulcast horse racing. It is also the second-smallest venue out of Ohio’s casinos and racinos.

The racino’s 57,000-square-foot gambling floor houses roughly 1,400 VLTs. Those machines have helped bring in $84,093,672 in revenue. That’s $1,475.33 per square foot. JACK Thistledown is the 2nd-smallest out of all of these venues. So far in 2023, the racino is having an impressive showing, given its smaller size than its competition.

4. Hollywood Casino Toledo: $1,206.16 per square foot

The Hollywood Casino Toledo is the next of the four Ohio casinos on the list. At 125,000 square feet, there are around 2000 slot machine games, 59 table games and 19 poker tables.

The casino has brought in $150,769,891 worth of revenue so far in 2023. That figures out to $1,206.16 per square foot. Hollywood Toledo is the second-biggest casino in the Buckeye State, so it’s a bit surprising to see it below two casinos smaller than it.

Image of table games at Hollywood Casino Toledo, as PlayOhio ranks Ohio casinos and racinos by revenue per square foot
Table games at Hollywood Casino Toledo

5. Hollywood Casino Columbus: $1,139.25 per square foot

This might be the biggest surprise in the rankings. Hollywood Casino Columbus, the state’s largest casino, generates the 5th-most revenue per square foot. The $400 million casino is located on a 123-acre site in Columbus, with around 160,000 square feet worth of gambling space.

Visitors can access nearly 2,000 slot machines, over 60 table games and more than 30 live poker tables. The venue has brought in $182,280,585 in revenue, more than any other Ohio casino or racino. However, that only factors to be $1,139.25 per square foot. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a bad number. It’s just a little shocking when compared to the other casinos in the state.

6. Scioto Downs Racino: $888.97 per square foot

Scioto Downs, also known as Eldorado Scioto Downs, is a racino located in Columbus. The venue holds 117,000 square feet of gaming space with over 2,400 slot machines.

Scioto Downs isn’t the biggest Ohio racino. However, it is near the top in terms of gaming machines available. In 2023, those machines have generated $103,892,006 in revenue so far. That comes out to  $887.97 per square foot.

7. Belterra Park Cincinnati Racino: $798.76 per square foot

Another surprise. It turns out that Belterra Park Racino is using its smaller space just fine. Belterra Park, located in Anderson Township, about 10 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, is the smallest venue of Ohio’s casinos and racinos.

The gaming space is 48,000 square feet with over 1,300 VLTs that have generated $38,340,408 so far in 2023. That’s $798.76 per square foot.

8. Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course: $729.11 per square foot

Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley is a racino located in Youngstown. The gambling venue opened in 2014, offering access to casino games and horse races.

The 100,000-square-foot casino and racecourse boast a one-mile track, over 1,000 slot machines, VLTs and keno. The machines have helped the venue generate $72,911,253 worth of revenue so far in 2023. That comes out to $729.11 per square foot.

9. MGM Northfield Park Racino: $681.61 per square foot

Another shocker on the list brings us to the biggest casino and racino venue in the Buckeye State. MGM Northfield Park has a 200,000-square-foot gaming space and has nearly 2,ooo slot machines.

The fact that the venue’s massive horse track makes up for a portion of that gaming space can make things seem skewed. From January to August, Northfield Park has created $136,322,555 worth of revenue from its VLTs. That comes out to $681.61 per square foot.

10. Miami Valley Gaming Racino: $572.86 per square foot

The state’s 2nd-biggest racino ironically has the 2nd-lowest revenue per square foot. The Miami Valley Gaming Racino offers over 2,200 gaming machines and harness racing in season. The venue, with a gaming space of 186,000 square feet, is located off I-75 at Exit 29 between Cincinnati and Dayton.

Miami Valley gaming has many slot and video poker machines that eclipse the larger Northfield Park. However, despite having more machines, they have only generated $106,551,516 worth of revenue, totaling $572.86 per square foot.

11. Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway: $535.51 per square foot

Rounding out the list is the Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway. The racino opened in 2014 on a 121-acre brownfield site north of downtown Dayton.

The venue includes a 5/8-mile harness racing track with a grandstand, a simulcast area and more than 130,000 square feet of gambling space. The facility is home to over 1,100 video slot machines of various denominations. The machines have created $69,615,919 worth of revenue for the racino, coming out to $535.51 per square foot.

Photo by AP Photo/Mark Duncan
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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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