We have more proof that football is still the king of sports betting in the US. Following a brief cool-down period over the summer in the Ohio sports betting market, the kickoff to the NFL season has given online sports wagering a jump start in the Buckeye State.
According to the September revenue report from the Ohio Casino Control Commission, Ohio online sportsbooks generated $79.3 million in taxable revenue for the state. That’s more than double the $39.3 million generated in August.
Retail sportsbooks also had a strong month, generating $2.3 million in taxable revenue compared to the $1.4 million brought in during August. Combined, Ohio’s online and retail sportsbooks reeled in $81.7 in taxable revenue for Ohio.
The combined numbers make September the third-most profitable month since the launch of legal Ohio sports betting in January.
$668 million in bets made through Ohio online sports betting
September is traditionally one of the busiest months on the sports betting calendar. That’s when Ohio NFL betting is near its peak.
According to September’s Ohio sports betting revenue report, bettors wagered $668 million with online operators. That’s about a $303.6 million uptick from August’s revenue numbers of $364.3 million.
Since legal sports wagering launched in January, Ohio online and retail sportsbooks have handled over $5.2 billion in bets while recording $699.1 million in taxable gaming revenue.
Ohio sportsbooks spend big bucks on promotion in September
The start of the NFL season is a significant reason numbers took a big jump. However, Ohio sports betting operators played a big part in the bump thanks to some big-time spending in September.
Operators spent $52.5 million in promotional dollars during September, the most since February. It is typical of sportsbooks to flood markets with ads and promos in the early days of the NFL season in an effort to attract new customers while also bringing customers back who took breaks during the summer lull.
DraftKings maintains market share lead for the third straight month
The start of the NFL season always creates a competitive atmosphere in the sports wagering game. In July, we saw DraftKings Ohio overtake FanDuel Ohio for the top spot for monthly volume in the Ohio online sports betting market. DraftKings built upon that lead in August and now appears to have a firm grasp on it.
September 2023 Ohio online sports betting handle
| 📱 Sportsbook | 💰 September Handle |
|---|---|
| DraftKings | $261,349,240 |
| FanDuel | $207,847,634 |
| BetMGM | $46,076,132 |
| Bet365 | $41,854,455 |
| Caesars | $30,457,066 |
| Fanatics | $23,659,055 |
| Barstool | $20,014,311 |
| Hard Rock | $9,855,046 |
| Tipico | $7,286,860 |
| PointsBet | $4,053,180 |
| BetRivers | $3,872,030 |
| betJACK | $3,798,620 |
| Betfred | $2,308,346 |
| MVGBet | $1,326,322 |
| betPARX | $1,160,332 |
| Betway | $954,093 |
| Bally's | $654,213 |
| SuperBook | $569,320 |
| Betr | $560,978 |
DraftKings handled over $261.3 million in September sports bets, once again widening its lead over FanDuel, which took in over $207.8 million worth of wagers. While both operators saw massive jumps in the Ohio market, DraftKings had an advantage in September of $53.5 million. The Boston-based operator beat out FanDuel by $18 million in August and by less than $10 million in July.
DraftKings has seemingly fully surpassed FanDuel in the Ohio sports betting market. Meanwhile, there was some interesting movement in the middle of the pack. BetMGM Ohio regained the No. 3 spot from Bet365 Ohio, which slipped to No. 4. Also, Fanatics Sportsbook Ohio cashed in on a strong, but also limited, August. With September being the first full month of operation in Ohio, Fanatics leaped into the No. 6 spot, completely passing up Barstool Sportsbook.
