COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sports gambling in Ohio appears to be paying off for taxpayers.
The newest revenue report from the Ohio Casino Control Commission numbers shows more than $3 billion gambled through online and retail proprietors between Jan. 1 and April this year.
Those are sportsbooks and apps tied to casinos, ballparks and professional sports teams. Ohio receives about $450 million through taxable revenue.
It’s a different playing field for the Ohio Lottery, which regulates and was tasked with kiosks in bars, restaurants and other businesses.
During the same time frame, these proprietors and gaming hosts pulled in $4.3 million statewide per lotto gaming revenue data. The taxable revenue is $103,894.
If this projected path continues, the Ohio Lottery would have an estimated $312,000 for the year.
Consumer 10 reached out to the Ohio Lottery for the operating budget for sports gaming, and a spokesperson said it costs $650,000 a year to keep this new division up and running.
Below is the full statement provided by Ohio Lottery:
“While we were tasked by the Legislature with starting the lottery sports gaming program, we knew that it was not going to be as lucrative as traditional lottery products. Unlike traditional lottery games that have fixed payouts and prize structures, sports gaming’s odds are volatile and change quickly, and sometimes proprietors take a loss. Lottery sports gaming is also competing against mobile sports betting which currently appears to have taken up 98% of the market in Ohio.”
The spokesperson said the only significant operating costs are staffing for regulation, the lottery’s primary role. The secondary role is player education on which locations have kiosks and unique gambling offerings and bet limits.
The Ohio Lottery has five sports gaming proprietors and more than 900 locations across the state, with a few more proprietors and hosts locations on the way, according to a spokesperson.