March 2022 proved to be another lucrative month for Ohio gaming and gambling establishments. Ohio’s casinos and racinos reported over $216 million in revenue for the month.
According to state regulators, Ohio casinos surpassed the previous one-month record of $215.9 million from March of 2021. Before the onset of COVID-19, the all-time tally for March stood at $184.2 million in 2019.
The numbers out of the Ohio Casino Control Commission and the Ohio Lottery show $93.3 million in monthly revenue from the state’s four casinos: the Horseshoe Casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati and the Hollywood Casinos in Columbus and Toledo. In addition, Ohio’s seven racinos brought in $122.9 million in gambling revenue.
Ohio’s March gambling revenue numbers easily surpassed February’s $178.7 million.
A deluge of Ohio bets after long break
Ohio’s casinos and racinos reopened after the COVID shut-downs around this time last year. The record-breaking month is sure to be a good sign for their 2022 gaming outlook as a whole.
The increased interest in sports betting should also help, as the state moves closer to legalizing sports betting in Ohio. Ohio’s gaming facilities and racinos have set a new monthly revenue record in nine out of the past 10 years, with 2020 being the only outlier.
The bulk of March casino revenues came from slot machines, with $65 million in monthly reports. Table revenues totaled $28.3 million.
JACK Cleveland Casino came out on top, earning $24.5 million, followed by Hollywood Columbus with $23.4 million. Hard Rock Cincinnati and Hollywood Toledo drew $23.4 million and $22.9 million, respectively.
Two venues posted net revenues up from March 2021: JACK Cleveland and Hollywood Toledo. The other two casinos, Hard Rock Cincinnati and Hollywood Columbus, didn’t fare as well compared to last year, coming in a little under.
Racinos reported state-wide earnings of $123 million, marginally less than last year’s March figure of $124.2 million.
MGM Northfield Park, famous for its harness racing, brought in the most with $26.1 million in revenue, up from last year’s $25.3 million. Next was Eldorado Scioto Downs with $21.7 million, followed by Miami Valley Gaming‘s $20.3 million.
The multi-faceted entertainment destination known as JACK Thistledown Racino reported $17.5 million in revenue, while Hollywood Mahoning Valley posted $14.4 million.
Hollywood Dayton managed $14.3 million, which was somewhat better than Belterra Park’s $8.6 million.
Online betting developments in Ohio
With mobile betting inching closer, JACK Casino recently announced the launch of its betJACK online and mobile sportsbook.
The online platform debuts as a free–to–play book, meaning no money is being transacted. Instead, patrons are permitted to bet on sporting events using free tokens. Once Ohio fully legalizes online gaming, the app will transition into a real-money betting platform.
Launch of Ohio sports betting market is set for the end of 2022
Ohio is progressing toward a Jan. 1, 2023 start date for launching legal sports betting in Ohio. The state last December passed House Bill 29, which set that date as the deadline and we are tracking all the latest launch updates.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission recently passed a third batch of rules, which govern the sports gaming involuntary exclusion list and the process and fees associated with acquiring a Type C license and host licensures.
In a separate filing, the Ohio Casino Control Commission passed rules related to certification and requirements of integrity monitors in sports gaming.
