The Ohio Casino Control Commission and Ohio Lottery reported a combined $138.4 million in adjusted gross revenue for December as Buckeye State sportsbooks capped a strong third year of operations by surpassing $1 billion in annual winnings.
All but $78,500 of that revenue total came from retail and mobile sportsbooks, as there are only 52 sports betting kiosks currently conducting business in the state. December’s haul was the second-highest in state history, trailing only the $209.1 million posted during the launch month of January 2023.
Revenue was more than double the final month of 2024 as the collective 14.5% hold was up nearly 8.6 percentage points. Sportsbooks got a late boost to their bottom line when No. 2 seed Ohio State lost in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to No. 10 Miami in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Handle was practically flat compared to December 2024 as the $954.8 million worth of accepted wagers was down 1%. The $10.3 billion handle reported for 2025, though was up 15.9% versus the previous year and an increase of more than $1.4 billion. Revenue lagged slightly behind as the $1.04 billion in taxable winnings was up 15.5%.
The state saw an inflow of $27.6 million into its coffers from wagering in December. Fiscal year receipts are running $22.8 million ahead of the first six months from FY 2024-25, while the near-$209 million generated in the 2005 calendar year was $28 million more than 2024.
A happy holidays for the house
All 13 mobile operators in the state posted year-over-year gains in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) compared to 2024, with December serving as a final catalyst to swing into the black for 2025.
FanDuel led the charge, racking up $53.5 million in winnings and pounding the public with a 16.9% hold on $316.1 million handle. It was the first time the digital colossus had back-to-back months above $50 million in revenue, and its $419.3 million in full-year AGR was up 11.2% from 2024.
DraftKings had its best month since the January 2024 launch at $45.6 million, crafting a 15.1% win rate against $301 million worth of wagers. It narrowly missed a 10% hold for the year, but the $326.9 million accrued in revenue represented a 12.1% upswing.
England-based sportsbook bet365 was the only other operator to finish 2025 with more than $75 million in full-year revenue. The book capped the year with $8.6 million thanks to an 11.4% hold, and revenue for the year was up 21.2% to $78.8 million. The December numbers for bet365 also provided some aesthetically pleasing all-time Ohio milestones as it crossed $200 million in revenue and $2 billion in handle.
The best of the rest
BetMGM closed out 2025 with a flourish in Ohio, this time getting over $9 million after finishing less than $5,000 short in November. The $18 million-plus in the final two months of 2025 represented more than 30% of its $58.7 million in full-year revenue as winnings ticked 30% higher from 2024.
Fanatics’ year of sizable growth was also evident in the Buckeye State, where revenue surged 90.9% higher to $49.8 million. It claimed close to $6.1 million in December, marking the seventh time in 2025 that monthly revenue more than doubled compared to 2024.
Hard Rock Bet also showed signs of notable growth, boosted in part by canny promotional spend focused on football season. Nearly 58% of its $7.8 million outlay came from September through December, contributing to a 66.5% jump in revenue in that span. Hard Rock’s $3.2 million in winnings to close out 2025 was a near five-fold increase from 2024, while its 13.6% hold was its best since a 16.7% win rate attained at launch.
