Ohio: Kiosk sports betting grows with nearly 900 sites, $973K in handle

Ohio sports betting continues its upward trend, with nearly 900 kiosks. A February Ohio Lottery Commission report shows 79 host locations were added in February to the existing 772 that opened in January. 

The report shows kiosk gamblers wagered $973,208 in February, a $122,872 increase compared to January. Players took home $909,552 in winnings, a 26% increase over January’s $722,376, which sums up to a payout of 93.61%.

PlayOhio managing editor Danny Cross attributes this boost in payouts to a rise in existing kiosks and better operations, and noted the jump in February “is directly tied" to less friction for sports bettors. "The biggest reason is that the technology roll-out issues were remedied at most locations," he said, as reported by Columbus Business First.

“Most of the businesses in Ohio adding kiosks partner with SportsBet. But due to software updates and other technical difficulties, 700 of the 772 initially licensed host locations were affected by delays,” he added.

SportsBet had the most host locations accounting for 728, and the most wagers for the month, leading up to $610,650. As of mid-March, 899 sites are licensed with nearly all of them and running, Cross said.  

He also assured that the pace will not slow down in the coming months, as the Ohio Casino Control Commission approved over 1,100 businesses to host sports betting kiosks. “As more companies gain final approval, the revenue we saw in February should continue to grow," he added.

As wagers and winnings went up, revenue went down. The report shows total revenue dipped by nearly 54% month to month, bringing in only $62,146 over January’s $116,040. The Ohio Lottery and kiosk hosts also took home less at $13,184 and $48,332, respectively.