Ohio casinos, Racinos, are posting another big month, blowing away pre-pandemic records for gambling revenue
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The COVID-19 slump is over for Ohio casinos and racinos. The question is how much business will go beyond what it ever was before the pandemic.
The state’s 11 casinos and racinos combined posted a record $ 217.1 million in gambling revenue in April after paying out winnings. This is evident from reports from the state.
That broke the $ 215.9 million record set in March, a month that was by far the best month ever for the 9-year-old industry. The previous record for a month was $ 184.2 million in March 2019.
The best on record in April 2018 was $ 162 million.
The surge in business earlier this year immediately followed the lifting of the government’s overnight curfews and the introduction of stimulus checks, in addition to the normally busy time of the year for facilities.
The $ 217.1 million earned on table games and slots last month rose 35.5% from $ 160.2 million in April 2019. (A year ago, the casinos and racinos were opened as part of a three-month closure that lasted through the middle of the month, closed all of April. June and later were curfews through mid-February.)
In April, Hollywood Casino Columbus led the way at $ 24.7 million, compared to $ 19.7 million in April 2019.
In the Cleveland Akron market, sales for the three facilities increased a total of 37.5% from April two years ago:
* JACK Thistledown Racino: $ 19.5 million, up 58.8% from $ 12.3 million.
* JACK Cleveland Casino: $ 24.1 million, up 41.4% from $ 17 million.
* MGM Northfield Park: $ 24.5 million, up 21.3% from $ 20.2 million in April 2019, the first month the facility was renamed from Hard Rock Racino Northfield Park to MGM.
The seven Racinos in Ohio, which are restricted to random slot machines known as video lottery terminals under regulation by the Ohio Lottery Commission, achieved sales of $ 124.5 million, up 38.9% from 89, $ 6 million in April 2019.
The four casinos in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo raised $ 92.6 million, up 31.1% from $ 70.6 million in April 2019. The casinos operated by the Ohio Casino Control Commission are regulated, have a wider selection of slot machines as well as table games and poker rooms.
About a third of this gaming revenue is transferred to the state in the form of fees and taxes.
Below are details on each Ohio Casino and Racino.
Ohio casinos
| Nationwide | April 2019 | April 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| revenue | $ 70.6 million | $ 92.6 million |
| Board games | $ 22.5 million | $ 26.9 million |
| key | $ 48.1 million | $ 65.7 million |
| JACK Cleveland Casino | ||
| revenue | $ 17.0 million | $ 24.1 million |
| Board games | $ 8.2 million | $ 11.0 million |
| key | $ 8.8 million | $ 13.0 million |
| Slots payout | 92.2% | 91.9% |
| Hard Rock Cincinnati Casino (JACK Cincinnati Casino in 2019) |
||
| revenue | $ 16.8 million | $ 21.3 million |
| Board games | $ 6.3 million | $ 7.3 million |
| key | $ 10.5 million | $ 14.0 million |
| Slots payout | 91.8% | 91.6% |
| Hollywood Toledo | ||
| revenue | $ 17.1 million | $ 22.6 million |
| Board games | $ 2.7 million | $ 3.2 million |
| key | $ 14.4 million | $ 19.4 million |
| Slots payout | 90.6% | 91.4% |
| Hollywood Columbus | ||
| revenue | $ 19.7 million | $ 24.7 million |
| Board games | $ 5.3 million | $ 5.5 million |
| key | $ 14.3 million | $ 19.2 million |
| Slots payout | 92.1% | 91.9% |
Source: Ohio Casino Control Commission
Ohio Racinos
| Nationwide | April 2018 | April 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| key | $ 89.6 million | $ 124.5 million |
| Pct, To, To, To Be, To, To Be, Payoff | 90.9% | 90.6% |
| JACK Thistledown Racino | ||
| key | $ 12.3 million | $ 19.5 million |
| Pct, To, To, To Be, To, To Be, Payoff | 90.6% | 90.3% |
| MGM Northfield Park | ||
| key | $ 22.0 million | $ 24.5 million |
| Pct, To, To, To Be, To, To Be, Payoff | 91.0% | 90.7% |
| Hollywood Mahoning Valley | ||
| key | $ 10.8 million | $ 15.1 million |
| Pct, To, To, To Be, To, To Be, Payoff | 90.2% | 90.1% |
| Scioto Downs | ||
| key | $ 14.2 million | $ 21.7 million |
| Pct, To, To, To Be, To, To Be, Payoff | 90.7% | 90.4% |
| Miami Valley Gaming | ||
| key | $ 15.1 million | $ 19.2 million |
| Pct. Payout | 91.7% | 91.2% |
| Belterra Park | ||
| key | $ 7.4 million | $ 9.2 million |
| Pct. Payout | 90.9% | 89.9% |
| Hollywood Dayton | ||
| key | $ 9.7 million | $ 15.3 million |
| Pct, To, To, To Be, To, To Be, Payoff | 90.5% | 90.8% |
Source: Ohio Lottery Commission
Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow @RichExner on Twitter. Follow casino coverage at cleveland.com/casino.
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