Ohio Again Breaks Casino and Racino Revenue Records in April

Ohio casinos and racinos are on a record roll.

The state’s four commercial casinos and seven racinos (slots at race tracks) broke state records for revenue in April, just one month after the revenue numbers in March set a new standard for Ohio gaming. All told, The Buckeye State’s 11 gaming facilities recorded a combined $217.1 million in revenue for April, breaking the record of $215.8 million set in March.

Total revenue at Ohio’s casinos was $92,556,028 in April, nudging aside March’s $91.6 million in the record books. There are 327 table games operating at the four facilities combined, compared to the 413 running just before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Ohio’s casinos along with others across the country in early 2020.

Yet in April, Ohio recorded just its second month ever (and second in a row) of more than $90 million at the four casinos, according to numbers reported Friday by the Ohio Casino Control Commission. It’s no coincidence that April was also the second full month after casinos were allowed to operate 24 hours a day again in the wake of Gov. Mike DeWine lifting a curfew. That curfew, which curtailed casino operating hours, was designed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Ohio Casino Breakdown for April

Hard Rock Cincinnati broke its monthly record for revenue by hauling in $21,280,100 in April. That surpassed the mark of $21,006,432 that had stood since March 2013, the facility’s first full month of operation.

Hollywood Columbus led the state with $24.65 million in revenue, just short of the record of $24.82 million set in March. JACK Cleveland was at $24.06 million as it continued to close in on its record of $26.1 million that has stood since June 2012. And Hollywood Toledo was at $22.56 million. Last month’s $23.9 million was Toledo’s second-best month ever, albeit a fair way behind the $33.3 million of revenue in July 2020.

April Also Sets Racinos Revenue Record

The state’s seven racinos broke records for both net win (revenue) and credits played (handle) in April.

The racino revenue of $124,529,077 just nudged aside the March figure of $124.2 million in the record books, according to a report that the Ohio Lottery posted. Ohio’s racinos — Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs in Columbus, MGM Northfield, Hollywood Gaming Dayton, Hollywood Mahoning Valley in Youngstown, JACK Thistledown in Cleveland and Miami Valley Gaming in Lebanon — saw handle of $1.318 billion, also breaking the record set in March ($1.307 billion).

The total monthly racino handle has exceeded $1 billion 15 times. Five of them have come in the 2020-21 fiscal year, which began in July 2020 and ends this June.

Gov. DeWine ended an overnight curfew on many types of businesses, including casinos, in February, Cleveland.com reported.