COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio's casinos and racinos have seen an uptick in earnings and even breaking a record in February.
Ohio casino and lottery commissions reported a total gambling revenue of $197 million. This surpasses the amount made in Feb. 2022.
What You Need To Know
- Ohio's gambling revenue saw an uptick this year
- The total gambling revenue across the state was $197 million, according to the Ohio Casino and Lottery Commissions.
- Sports betting became legal in Ohio this January
"January's numbers look very different than February's numbers, and that was a lot of things that was launched," said Jessica Franks, Director of Communications, Ohio Casino Control Commission.
Franks told Spectrum News that people need to look at numbers yearly because of fluctuations.
"There are fluctuations in things like what's on the calendar," Franks said. "How many weekend days are there?, what's the weather like?"
She said there could be several reasons why revenue increased in 2023. She pointed to services that casinos and racinos offer, such as amenities, financial comfort, and marketing.
The four casinos in Ohio brought in $82.6 million this February.
"The growth of casino gaming in Ohio is something that we've seen pretty much year over year," Frank said. "It was trending that way. And then, of course, the pandemic year was a little bit of an aberration due to the shutdown."
Michael Buzzelli, the Associate Director of Problem Gambling Network of Ohio, said there was a lot of excitement around sports betting becoming legal in January.
"You're seeing increased gambling and then increased gambling revenue throughout all of the legalized forms because people can really do any form anywhere," Buzzelli said.
Problem Gambling Network helps people suffering from gambling addiction. Two percent of tax revenue from statewide gambling goes to problem gambling prevention and treatment. The rest of the dollars is up to the legislature.
"I think where this funding is going then to the state department," Buzzelli said. "Then down to the counties and to agencies like mine, is to make sure that, again, folks are having good education and prevention."
Robert Gitter is a Professor of Economics Emeritus At Ohio Wesleyan University. He said the increased dollars from gambling this year could have very little impact on Ohio's economy.
"Casino gambling has not been this windfall for education here in Ohio," Gitter said. "Nor has it really stimulated, nor has it really resulted in much additional tax revenue. I think the people benefiting from it are those people that are stockholders in the corporations. I think those people benefiting from it are people that are getting jobs there."
The Ohio Casino Control Commission said they need an entire year to gather the total revenue from sports betting since January.