Gambling revenue for March at the four casinos and seven racinos in Ohio saw a dropoff of $112.3 million. The industry had been off to a roaring start in 2020, with monthly records of $167.5 million in January and $171.4 million in February.
Gambling revenue for March at the four casinos and seven racinos was $71.9 million, down 61% from $184.2 million March 2019, reports released Tuesday by the state’s Ohio Lottery and Casino Control commissions showed.
The facilities had remained open during the early days of coronavirus-related restrictions on gatherings imposed by Gov. Mike DeWine, Cleveland.com reports. That changed with a directive on March 13 to close or present a plan on how to remain open while keeping the total number of workers and patrons in the buildings below 100.
All 11 facilities were closed by the next day, Saturday, March 14. This left the industry for the month with just one full weekend, normally their busiest times.
The gambling revenue reported by the lottery and casino control commissions does not include money from horse racing that comes under separate regulations. Horse racing continued, without fans, until stopping on March 20.
In the Greater Cleveland area, gambling revenue was: