A month dominated by World Cup betting helped Ohio grow by 17.3% year-over-year in July.
Key Takeaways
- Ohio sports bettors pushed the handle above $600 million for the 12th consecutive month.
- Gross revenue was up nearly 12%, thanks in part to the U.S. team’s round-of-16 exit.
- The two months of the World Cup helped Ohio generate over $1.28 billion in bets.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission reported this week that online and retail operators generated $624.6 million during the busy month, up from $532.3 million in July 2025. Buckeye State bettors extended a streak of $600-million handles to 12 months.
Ohio revenue also spiked 11.8% compared to the same month last summer after the U.S. team bowed out in the round of 16 and Spain won the World Cup final against popular Argentina.
Operators produced a 10.8% hold, the fourth double-digit hold this year, but it was down from the previous July’s 11.3%. The state generated $13.5 million in tax revenue, increasing the year-to-date total to over $114 million.
Ohio online sports betting accounted for $617.1 million of the total handle and all but $755,000 of the gross revenue.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
World Cup totals
While the NBA and NHL finals combined with June to produce big betting numbers in Ohio, July was mostly reliant on the premier soccer event and MLB.
The two months containing the World Cup generated a total of $1.28 billion in wagers, up from $1.18 billion in last year’s June and July. Taxable revenue of $136.3 million was down less than 1%, mostly because of June’s 8% year-over-year gross revenue decline.
Promotional wagering in July reached $16.8 million, increasing the two-month total to $38.3 million, a 22.3% year-over-year spike.
Staying consistent
| Online Operator | July Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | $202.4 million | $22.8 million |
| FanDuel | $189.4 million | $23.3 million |
| bet365 | $74.9 million | $6.1 million |
| BetMGM | $42.5 million | $4.4 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $39.3 million | $4.3 million |
| Caesars | $21.8 million | $1.1 million |
DraftKings and FanDuel continued their handle-revenue dance in Ohio for the second consecutive month. DraftKings posted the highest handle at $202.4 million, but FanDuel’s 12.3% hold on a $189.4 million handle led to higher gross revenue of $23.3 million. DraftKings still enjoyed an 11.3% hold.
Third place easily went to bet365, which generated $74.9 million in wagers and used an 8.1% hold to take home $6.1 million. BetMGM’s 10.4% hold on over $42 million in wagers produced at least $4 million in gross revenue for the fifth consecutive month.
Fanatics finished July with a 10.9% win rate on nearly $40 million in wagers, while Caesars just stayed ahead of Hard Rock Bet in handle, but the Florida-based operator surpassed Caesars with a $1.4 million gross revenue haul.
