Ohioans used lottery sports betting kiosks more in February than in the first month they were available, and they managed to lose less money while risking nearly $1 million.
The Ohio Lottery reported Wednesday that the total handle last month amounted to $973,208 from betting on 866 of the machines in bars and other outlets around the state. That was a 14.4% increase from January, when 772 kiosks were active.
The revenue from the kiosks — meaning the amount vendors and hosts retained after winning bets were paid out — totaled $62,146, which was far less than the $116,040 in January. The Ohio Lottery’s share of the winnings amounted to $13,814, a little less than half of the state’s take in January.
The volume of betting done at the lottery kiosks — technically known as Type C sports gaming in Ohio — is a pittance compared to the $1.1 billion reported in January through mobile betting and the retail sportsbooks at casinos, racinos, and sports venues in the state.
Hundreds more locations are expected to have active kiosks in the coming months, however, as the approval and implementation process for them proceeds. The betting handle will nonetheless always be limited by restrictions on the size and type of bets that can be placed — limits that don’t exist for the mobile and retail sportsbooks.
Intralot dominates the field
While seven companies are licensed as proprietors to make kiosks available to bars, restaurants, and other locations that have liquor licenses and are approved by the lottery, only four had kiosks active around the state in February: Sports Bet Ohio (Intralot), BetIGG (Iron Gate Gaming), UBetOhio (Green Bear Gaming Development), and Gold Rush Gaming.
Sports Bet Ohio, assisted by operator Intralot’s history of connections with the lottery and with lottery machine hosts, has by far the most active kiosk locations: 728. Those devices last month took $610,650 in bets and retained $32,379 in revenue.
The UBetOhio machines were the busiest on an individual basis, with just 31 kiosks taking $207,617 in bets and collecting $17,467 in revenue. And in its first active month in February, Gold Rush Gaming provided 58 machines to locations, which took $74,440 in bets and showed $15,446 in revenue.
For BetIGG and its host locations, it was somehow a losing month. Its 49 kiosks took $80,501 in bets and paid out $3,145 more to bettors than was accepted in wagers.
Photo: Gary Rotstein
