The Ohio Casino Control Commission has released data for Ohio’s first ten months of sports betting, revealing that October was the second-best month for the state in terms of sports betting handle. The state saw more than $742 million wagered during the month.
The top performers by operators included DraftKings and FanDuel, which both brought in over $258 million in betting handle each. DraftKings just took the top operator spot, with a handle larger than FanDuel’s by around $57,000. Combined, DraftKings and FanDuel accounted for around 70% of the October 2023 handle.
There was another close battle for third place in total betting handle, with bet365 bringing in $45.7 million and BetMGM bringing in $45.4 million. The fifth-largest sports betting handle was brought in by Caesars Sportsbook, which stood at $35.4 million.
October’s betting handle is the first time since March 2023 that the Ohio betting handle has topped $700 million. The return of the NFL has been a driving factor behind the increase. The season returned in September 2023, which saw the betting handle increase by around 82% compared to August 2023. After five weeks of NFL action, October saw another 8.3% in the betting handle.
Despite being the second largest month for betting handle, it is only the third best in state history for taxes, as taxes collected in October actually dropped compared to August 2023. Sportsbook revenues also fell from August.
Ohio’s biggest month for online sports betting handle was also driven by the NFL, as its very first in January 2023 came during the NFL playoffs. This helped the state reach a monthly betting handle of over $1 billion for the first time. January 2023 was also Ohio’s best month for sportsbook revenues and taxes collected.
