Wagering at Ohio sports betting kiosks slowed down a little bit in November. However, it was still good enough to be one of the busiest months of the year.
According to numbers released by the Ohio Lottery, Ohio bettors wagered over $1.2 million through the machines in November. That’s the fourth-best month ever for Ohio sports betting kiosks.
The Ohio sports betting market has both retail and online sportsbooks. However, The Buckeye State also has a kiosk program.
These are self-service sports betting machines at more than 900 locations statewide. The kiosks are typically located in restaurants, bars and other public spaces like convenience and grocery stores.
Ohio sports betting kiosk November revenue breakdown
| Operator | Handle | Gross Revenue | Taxes Paid To OH Lottery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Bet Ohio | $692,870 | $50,404 | $16,381 |
| UBet Ohio | $275,802 | $19,717 | $1,972 |
| BetSkybox | $207,150 | $19,482 | $1,948 |
| BetIGG | $68,622 | -$3,004 | $0 |
| Gold Rush Gaming | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| TOTAL | $1,244,444 | $86,599 | $20,301 |
Sports betting kiosks in Ohio generated $86,599 in gross revenue on November’s total handle of $1,244,444. Those numbers turned into $20,301 in taxes for the Ohio Lottery. Both those numbers are down considerably from where they were in October despite the amount of money in bets collected in November. GGR is down 44.5% and the money the lottery receives is down 37.8%.
SportsBet Ohio is once again the king of Ohio sports betting kiosks. The company has over 700 host locations, by far the most among the less than 900 total locations in the Buckeye State. SportsBet Ohio claimed 55.6% of the market share in November, taking $692,870 in bets.
Meanwhile, Iron Gate Gaming’s platform, BET IGG, was the only operator to lose money in November. The company ended up losing over $3,000 over the course of the month through its 14 host locations. The operator had reached a high of 50 host locations in May. However, it has closed 36 locations since then.
Gold Rush Gaming now a non-factor
The glaring observation from Ohio sports betting kiosks November report is the big fat “zero” coming from Gold Rush Gaming. The operator is essentially non-existent in the Ohio market, now having zero host locations in the state. In July, the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year, Gold Rush Gaming had 76 host locations in Ohio.
Although the company is still licensed to operate sports betting kiosks, Gold Rush Gaming has seemingly exited the Ohio sports betting market. Given the drawbacks of running these kiosks, there are several potential reasons for this.
Operating and regulating these kiosks costs the Ohio Lottery around $54,200 a month. Based on revenue numbers, the Lottery is losing around $29,900 every month on sports betting kiosks.
The kiosks also have limitations that traditional online or retail sportsbooks do not. Users are limited to $700 in weekly kiosk bets. Additionally, prop bets and live betting aren’t available. You can only bet game outcomes on parlays, meaning only moneyline bets, spread wagers, and over/under bets are allowed. The convenience of kiosks is the main selling point to casual bettors.
