FanDuel holds off DraftKings challenge to lead Ohio betting market in August
According to the Ohio Casino Control Commission report that dropped Tuesday (1 October), total player spend in Ohio for August was $547.9m (£417.6m/€496.2m). This is 44.6% ahead of last year and 14.9% more than July of this year.
Consumers wagered $539.9m on sports online during the month, while a further $13.0m was bet at retail sportsbooks.
In terms of taxable revenue, this amounted to $48.8m, the lowest monthly total so far for 2024. The August figure was 19.6% more than the same month last year but 8.8% behind July’s $55.3m haul.
Online sports betting generated $46.6m in revenue, while retail sportsbooks contributed $2.0m to the monthly total. Total taxable revenue for the year-to-date in Ohio stands at $541.5m.
As for hold, this hit 8.91% for the state as a whole in August. Online hold was 8.63%, with retail at 15.38%.
DraftKings runs FanDuel close in Ohio
Looking now to individual operators, the two-way battle between FanDuel and DraftKings continued in August.
FanDuel barely retained the lead in the online sector, posting $16.9m in taxable revenue for the month. This came off a $165.7m handle, resulting in a 10.20% hold.
DraftKings was only marginally behind on $16.7m in online revenue, despite a higher handle of $178.8m. The operator had a 9.34% hold.
Elsewhere, Bet365 generated $4.0m in revenue from $59.4m in bets for a 6.73% online hold. BetMGM took $2.3m from $38.2m handle, leaving a 6.02% hold, and ESPN Bet took in $1.9m off $19.7m for a 9.64% hold.
As for the Ohio retail market, Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway claimed top spot with $377,810 from a $1.4m handle. This left a hold of 27.4%. Seminole Hard Rock Digital was not far behind on $363,549 from $1.9m, resulting in a 19.3% hold.
Ohio bettors can also use wagering kiosks, which are overseen by the Ohio Lottery. Those figures were released in mid-August and showed that there are 761 kiosks available, down from 764 in July. Bettors placed $806,100 worth of wagers.