Ohio Sportsbooks Ring Up $72.7 Million In August, On Near-11% Hold

The Ohio Casino Control Commission and Ohio Lottery reported a combined $72.7 million in adjusted gross sports betting revenue for August as sportsbooks in the Buckeye State looked to have ridden a wave of college football futures to a strong month.

Almost all of the handle and revenue came from the licensees of the OCCC, as there are still 48 Class C licensed sports betting kiosks operating in the state via the lottery. Those generated $20,201 in revenue from $413,725 handle.

The collective statewide hold for all licensees landed just shy of 11%, the fourth straight month in double figures as Ohio sportsbooks kept pace with summer-long national trends. Revenue was up 49% compared to August 2024, outpacing the 20.9% increase in handle to $663.2 million.

Total wagering in the state has eclipsed $6 billion in the calendar year, and Ohio moved ahead of Michigan into the top 10 for all-time handle in the post-PASPA era with $22.67 billion dating back to launch on New Year’s Day 2023.

The state collected $14.5 million in tax receipts and is already $5.6 million ahead of last year’s pace through the first two months of Fiscal Year 2026.

Bouncing with the Buckeyes

Even with two NFL teams in the state in the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, few things move the sports wagering needle in Ohio like the Ohio State Buckeyes. The flagship college football program entered the season with national title aspirations and a top-three ranking in both polls.

While the OCCC does not break out handle and revenue figures by sport, anecdotal evidence points to plenty of wagers on the Buckeyes potentially winning the Big Ten and/or College Football Playoff. Hollywood Columbus reported a 23.5% hold for the month as it accepted $1.8 million in wagers and collected $430,724 in AGR.

In some respects, the near-11% statewide win rate for August is impressive given Ohio State defeated then-No. 1 Texas 14-7 on Aug. 30, a result that likely had some negative impact on the house’s bottom line for the month. August baseball in Ohio likely did not create a notable change as the Cleveland Indians went 14-13 and the Cincinnati Reds went 12-15 prior to their September pushes to the postseason.

FanDuel and DraftKings on the 1s and 2s

Eight of Ohio’s 14 mobile sportsbooks posted double-digit win rates for August, including eternal rivals FanDuel and DraftKings. The former attained an 11.9% hold in claiming $24.7 million, roughly $230,000 more than DraftKings, which had an 11.2% hold. FanDuel also became the first mobile operator in the state to surpass $1 billion in AGR.

DraftKings can take solace in claiming top handle generator at $218.1 million, with FanDuel second at $207.6 million. DraftKings’ promo spend of $8.6 million, though, was both up 54.4% from last year and 37.7% more than FanDuel’s $6.2 million outlay of credits and bonuses.

The $20.6 million in total promotional spend was up 31.9% year-over-year. Five mobile books had seven-figure outlays, though the combined totals of BetMGM ($1.4 million), Fanatics ($1.2 million), and bet365 ($1.1 million) did not equal even half of DraftKings’ spend.

Speaking of bet365, the England-based book claimed the final podium spots for revenue and handle, collecting $5.6 million on the strength of a 9.6% hold from $58.8 million worth of wagers. BetMGM notched its third straight double-digit hold at 10.9%, contributing to a more than doubling of its revenue from last year to $4.8 million.

Fanatics comfortably rounded out the top five while ESPN Bet and Caesars gave chase. Fanatics edged over a 10% hold to post $3.7 million in winnings from $36.9 million handle, also more than doubling its revenue from August 2024.

ESPN Bet had a 10%-plus hold for the fourth straight month, and its 10.9% mark led to $2.4 million in revenue from $22 million handle. Caesars had a more modest 8.7% win rate that provided close to $2.1 million in winnings from $23.5 million worth of accepted wagers.