The first revenue report for Ohio’s sports betting kiosk industry showed bettors pumping $850,336 into the machines in January, losing about 9% of that amount.
The Ohio Lottery posted its first report Wednesday that summarized the new Type C betting activity that began Jan. 1 at bars and other lottery locations with liquor licenses. There were 772 such locations in January, the report said, although many were not available at the start of the month and the number continues to grow in February.
The volume of overall sports betting in the state will heavily tilt toward the Type A mobile/online format as well as Type B retail locations including casinos, racinos, and sports venues. The Ohio Casino Control Commission is to release a financial report Feb. 28 on the level of betting through those formats in January.
Ohio’s sports betting law is unusual with its additional allowance for kiosk betting at hundreds of small locations, though bettors face restrictions on the type and volume of betting compared to online and casino/racino sports wagering.
Presumably, January will be the smallest month ever for Type C activity, considering approved locations and kiosks are still being added and Ohioans are just becoming familiar with their availability, which hasn’t been widely promoted in the manner that the likes of FanDuel and BetMGM are able to do with their television commercials.
Sports Bet Ohio dominates activity
The report stated that of the $850,336 wagered, $722,376 was returned to players as prizes. Of gross gaming revenue of $116,040, $28,376 went to the lottery’s fund and $87,664 was retained by the initial three licensed proprietors distributing machines in January: Sports Bet Ohio (Intralot), UBetOhio (Green Bear Gaming Development), and BetIGG (Iron Gate Gaming). Those proprietors work out arrangements with host locations to share a portion of revenue.
Sports Bet Ohio, which has longtime contracts with the Ohio Lottery, is by far the biggest kiosk supplier. It had 699 locations in use in January that combined for $559,631 in handle and $74,542 in revenue.
UBetOhio, with 24 locations, reported $193,048 in handle and $21,642 in revenue. BetIGG claimed $97,657 in handle and $19,856 in revenue from 49 locations.
The February activity report issued in mid-March will include betting activity at locations served by as many as four additional proprietors: Elys Gameboard Technologies, Gold Rush Amusements, Skybox Sports Network, and J&J Ventures Gaming of Ohio.
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