The Ohio Casino Control Commission reported $91.7 million in December casino revenue, which was just enough for the Buckeye State to surpass $1 billion in operator winnings for the second consecutive year.

The $1.01 billion in combined revenue from the state’s four casinos was nearly 1% higher than 2022, which comes out to just over $9.7 million. Casino patrons in 2023 made a notable shift to more slot action compared to table games. The $9.33 billion in drop for slot machines was up 4.4% compared to 2022, contributing to a 3.9% rise in slot revenue to nearly $728.9 million.

Conversely, table games drop that included action on baccarat, craps, roulette, and blackjack slid 6.2% — or roughly $79.6 million — to $1.2 billion for 2023. Table games revenue was down 5.8% to $286.1 million, as the win rate on the felt edged higher year-over-year to 23.8%.

December marked only the second time casino revenue topped $90 million in any month in 2023, slotting behind the $93.5 million claimed in March. Revenue for the final month of 2023 was up 9.4% compared to December 2022, helped along by 138 more slot positions, and surged 14.1% higher compared to the $80.4 million in winnings for November.

Revenue from video lottery terminals (VLTs) reported by the Ohio Lottery also was notably higher to close out the year, reaching $120.4 million. That was up 10.3% compared to the final month of 2022. The $1.36 billion in credits played also represented a 10.3% increase from the previous December, while the $377 daily average win was the highest since April winnings averaged out to $378.

The revenue totals do not include the nearly $87.4 million in sports betting revenue in the Buckeye State for December.

All four casinos post December gains

JACK Cleveland edged out Hollywood Columbus for top revenue honors in December by less than $300,000 with its $24.5 million in winnings. That was up 4.1% from its December 2022 total of $23.6 million, fueled by an 8.3% increase in slot revenue to $15.3 million.

JACK had a modest 2.2% year-over-year increase in overall revenue to nearly $268.2 million, thanks to a 7.5% bump in slot revenue that absorbed a 4.8% downturn in table games revenue to $107.1 million.

Hollywood Columbus came within $25,000 of closing out 2023 with its top monthly haul at $24.3 million. That marked an increase of 11.5% from December 2022, with slot revenue also the primary driver of higher winnings. It paced the four casinos with $18.7 million in slot winnings, 15.7% higher than the $16.2 million that completed its 2022 ledger.

The PENN Entertainment venue also led the quartet with $272.2 million in total winnings for 2023, up 3.3% year-over-year. It was the only venue to surpass $200 million in slot revenue for the year, as the $210 million in winnings represented a 7.1% jump from 2022.

PENN’s other casino property in Toledo posted $3.2 million in table games revenue, its best month on the felt since claiming $3.3 million in April 2022. That helped boost overall December winnings over $20 million for the first time since March, and the final month’s figure of $20.5 million came within $233,000 of its 2023 high-water mark.

Hollywood Toledo, though, finished down 1.2% in total revenue compared to 2022 at $224.9 million. The late surge in table games revenue only reduced the year-over-year decline to 9.1%, as it claimed $31.3 million in winnings and canceled out a rise of nearly $340,000 in slot revenue to $193.6 million.

Hard Rock Cincinnati had the biggest year-over-year bounce in table games revenue at 16.2%, eclipsing $8 million for the first time since winning $8.3 million in April. It had an overall increase of 10.3% in December revenue to nearly $22.4 million, with slot revenue up 7.3% to $14.4 million.

Hard Rock had a small decline in 2023 revenue to $249.7 million, off 0.7% from 2022 as the dip in table games revenue to $85.4 million outweighed the slight uptick in slot winnings to $164.3 million.

VLT operators post modest  increases

Overall, the seven racinos that offer video lottery terminal gaming to Ohio bettors generated a combined $1.37 billion in revenue for the 2023 calendar year. That was up 40.2 million — or just over 3% — compared to 2022. More than $15.3 billion worth of credits were played last year, an increase of nearly $506 million.

The Ohio Lottery has collected nearly $225.6 million in state taxes from VLT play through the first six months of Fiscal Year 2024, which began in July.

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