Buckeye State sports betting continues to show year-over-year growth, even during the summer slowdown.
Key Takeaways
- With mainly MLB to rely on, July’s handle fell off from June’s $586.3 million.
- Ohio surpassed $100 million in tax revenue from sports betting.
- FanDuel and DraftKings both enjoyed high win rates in July.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission recently reported that online and retail sportsbooks generated $532.3 million in wagers, an 11.5% year-over-year increase, and $60.2 million in revenue, a 9.5% rise.
With MLB being the heaviest volume sport, and the NBA season in the rearview, the handle predictably fell off from June’s $586.3 million. The 11.3% July hold was down from the 12.8% win rate in the previous month, but it was close to July 2024 and was the third highest in 2025.
The Buckeye State filled its coffers with $12 million in July, lifting the Ohio sports betting tax revenue above $100 million year-to-date.
Retail falls off
Online sportsbooks in Ohio generated more than $522 million of July’s total handle and accounted for $58.8 million of revenue. Promotional spending of $13.7 million was down 20% compared to June.
Retail sportsbooks kept Ohio from challenging June’s figures. Brick-and-mortar operators suffered a 47% month-over-month decrease to $9.99 million in wagers. BetMGM’s retail sportsbook, located across the street from the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ball Park, went from a handle of $8.1 million in June to under $100,000 reported in July.
High holds
| Online Operator | July Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | $175.4 million | $20.8 million |
| DraftKings | $161.4 million | $19.6 million |
| bet365 | $51.8 million | $4.6 million |
| BetMGM | $37.4 million | $4.2 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $28.3 million | $3.1 million |
| Caesars | $18.1 million | $1.8 million |
FanDuel led all online operators with a $175.4-million handle in June. The sportsbook also generated $20.8 million in revenue from an 11.8% hold. DraftKings took in more than $161 million in wagers for the month and nearly caught FanDuel in profits, producing $19.6 million from $14 million fewer in bets.
bet365 held down the third spot, bringing in $4.6 million from a $51.8-million handle. BetMGM used a double-digit hold to haul in $4.2 million from $37.4 million in wagers. Fanatics Sportsbook wasn’t too far behind, generating a 10.9% hold from a $28.3-million handle.
Caesars, ESPN BET, and Hard Rock Bet all surpassed $10 million in handle. Prime Sportsbook generated more than $7 million in wagers for the month, but it only kept $60,000 for profit.
Don’t do it
While Ohio allows for 14 online sports betting licenses, regulators aren’t going to let those operators showcase prediction markets.
The OCCC told sportsbooks last week that being involved with the controversial, federally regulated sports outcome contract could result in licensing issues. This came shortly after FanDuel announced a partnership with CME Group to offer prediction markets on non-sports events.
