CLEVELAND (AP) — Before the end of the calendar year, Ohio’s casinos and racinos have already broken revenue records, bringing in $2.11 billion in gambling revenue going into December.
Data released by the Ohio Casino Control and Lottery commissions shows that is up $120 million from the previous record set in 2019, cleveland.com reported Wednesday.
In 2020, when the state ordered the venues to close entirely between mid-March and June because of the pandemic, casinos and racinos brought in $1.44 billion in revenue. Racinos offer only chance-based slot machines.
Ohio's four anchor casinos have been open since 2012. In the years since, a number of racinos have opened throughout the state.
Gambling revenue has risen every year, except in 2020, since casinos opened in Ohio in 2012. The revenue is money kept by the casinos after paying out winnings but before they have paid taxes and fees.