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Ohio Suffers Its Worst Sports Betting Month in April

Perry Sandra

Updated on June 1, 2023 at 11:33 AM EDT • Read time: 1 min 52 sec. Find more on Twitter and Google News.

Welcome to the traditionally slower spring/summer season for legal sports betting in Ohio, as well as for many of the top sports betting apps. Sports wagering has only been available in the Buckeye State since January, but betting sites in Ohio have already shown promising results.

Unfortunately, April revenue numbers have shown a familiar spring slowdown trend, with the Ohio Casino Control Commission reporting that they were less than half of the totals from the first full month of operation.

Ohio’s sports betting market saw a remarkable $1.14 billion handle in January, but has not been able to reach those numbers since. The top sports betting sites in the state are now facing the typical yearly decline in sports betting activity that occurs in every North American jurisdiction during April.

Ohio’s April sports betting numbers

In April, Ohio’s sportsbooks saw a decrease in betting activity with $521.7 million in total bets, compared to $1.14 billion in January and a 29% drop from the $738.6 million in March. Mobile betting sites accounted for 97% of all wagers in the state. The decline in betting can be attributed to the lack of major sporting events in April, such as the NFL, college sports, the Super Bowl, and the NCAA basketball tournament, which were prominent in previous months. Instead, April featured smaller NBA and NHL playoff schedules and MLB games, which typically do not generate as much betting activity.

In April, the Ohio Casino Control Commission announced a revenue of $63.8 million, with a hold of 12.2%. This marks a significant decrease from the $95.3 million reported in March and the impressive $209 million in January, when the state’s betting sites held 18.8%.

In April, taxes paid to state and local coffers were $6.2 million, a decrease from $9.5 million in March and $20.9 million in Ohio’s initial month of legal sports betting in January.

Since the introduction of legal sports betting in Ohio, promotional expenses have significantly decreased. In April, bettors only used $24.2 million in promotional credits, a sharp decline from the $44.5 million spent in March.

Concern for Ohio?

Absolutely not!

Even though Ohio saw significant decreases in betting revenue compared to the previous month, the state is still on course to become one of the top 10 legal sports betting markets in the United States. With less than half of the total betting revenue generated in January, Ohio is showing promise in the industry.

In the first four months of operation, the state’s betting websites collected approximately $3 billion in revenue. So far, the state’s providers have generated $449 million in revenue, and thanks to a sportsbook-friendly tax rate of 10%, Ohio state and local coffers have received an impressive $45 million in tax revenue since the platform was launched.

North American sportsbooks typically struggle during the summer months as baseball betting doesn’t compare to the popularity of NFL and NBA. However, the outlook is bright as September is approaching, and Ohio sportsbooks are expected to thrive once more.

Ohio’s legal sports betting scene will experience billion-dollar months once more, but it must first weather some lean times.

Written By:
Perry Sandra
Perry Sandra and betting go hand-in-hand. Both are characterized by “odds”. Dave fancies himself as one of the most dedicated sports and pop-culture junkies around, to the chagrin of his family and friends. Following sports for 50 years and writing about it for 20, Dave hasn’t found a sport yet that can’t contribute to 2-3 straight hours of couch time. That search remains ongoing. As a good old Canadian boy, hockey is in Dave’s heart, as is curling sadly. But evolution is a real thing and that’s why football, baseball, and just about every sport on the planet has become a passion. Dave isn’t afraid to kill some time obsessing over politics or the far-too-frequent awards shows the consume the airwaves.