Ohio casinos see third consecutive monthly record revenue in September

Ohio’s casino and racino industry saw its third consecutive month of record gambling revenue in September after reopening in June.

Revenue in last month totaled a September record of $164.5 million, up 6.1% from the same month a year ago, following monthly records in August and July, as reported by Cleveland.com. 

For the year, revenue of just over $1 billion is down 30.8% from nearly $1.5 billion during the first nine months of 2019, a direct result of closings from mid-March through mid-June. Records have been set each month of full operation this year. About a third of this money, or close to $335 million for gambling year-to-date, will be turned over the state in the form of taxes or fees.

Topping all Ohio operations in September was MGM Northfield Park with $19.9 million in revenue, knocking Hollywood Casino Toledo from the top spot. The Toledo casino had performed at all-time highs until after nearby casinos in Detroit reopened in early August.

Gambling revenue in the Cleveland market during September was up 8.1% to $52.3 million. JACK Thistledown Racinos was up 20.8% to $14.2 million; JACK Cleveland Casino was up 5.3% to $18.1 million; and MGM Northfield Park was up 2.9% to the $19.9 million.

The seven racinos, regulated by the Ohio Lottery Commission, are limited to chance-based slot machines called video lottery terminals. Ohio’s four casinos, regulated by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, are permitted to offer a wider variety of slot machines, plus table games including poker rooms. Cleveland’s casino is the top table game operation in Ohio, with $8.7 million of the $21.1 million statewide last month, accounting for 41% of the total.