The Ohio Casino Control Commission and Ohio Lottery reported a combined $59.8 million in adjusted gross sports betting revenue (AGR) for July as Buckeye State sportsbooks furthered the nationwide summer trend of hammering the betting public.
Operator winnings were up 7.9% from last year despite a dip in the hold of more than one-third of a percentage point to 11.2%, according to the report released Friday. Handle climbed 11.5% to $532.6 million, moving Ohio beyond $22 billion since launch in January 2023 and within $100 million of 10th-place Michigan in the post-PASPA era.
It was the third consecutive month Ohio sportsbooks eclipsed an 11% hold on AGR and 15th time in 31 months of wagering. Since the start of May, operators nationwide have had a collective hold of 10% or better in 78 of the 93 (83.9%) state revenue reports that publish handle and revenue figures.
The state kicked off Fiscal Year 2026 with an inflow of close to $12 million in tax receipts, lifting the 2025 year-to-date total to $104.8 million. That is $6.1 million ahead of last year’s pace through seven months.
FanDuel does the handle, revenue double
Eleven of the 14 mobile sportsbooks in the Buckeye State finished with double-digit holds, with local outfit betJACK topping the list at 13.1% by claiming $507,200 of $3.9 million in accepted bets.
FanDuel continued to hold sway as the top operator, extending its run of 10%-plus holds to four months with an 11.9% win rate as it posted $20.8 million in winnings from $175.4 million handle. It was the 11th straight month above the $20 million revenue benchmark for FanDuel, which is $12.6 million shy of $1 billion AGR in Ohio.
DraftKings had a higher hold than its eternal rival at 12.2%, leading to $19.7 million in revenue from $161.4 million in wagers. It was the third straight month with a 12%-plus win rate, a first for DraftKings in the Buckeye State.
Despite being one of the three operators with a single-digit hold, bet365’s 8.9% win rate was good enough to place it on the podium for revenue at $4.6 million. Also notable was that the England-based sportsbook’s monthly promotional spend was less than $1 million for the first time at $980,200.
BetMGM ($4.2 million) and Fanatics ($3.1 million) rounded out the top five for revenue as well as handle at $37.4 million and $28.3 million, respectively. Fanatics also kept its promotional outlay in six figures at $907,900, while BetMGM edged over the $1 million mark. The $13.7 million in total credits and bonuses for July represented a 2.6% increase from last year.
Colorado, Virginia get in on the fun (for operators)
Fellow top-10 markets Colorado and Virginia also posted double-digit holds in July, with the former edging over the mark at 10.1% as the house racked up $35.5 million in gross revenue. Sportsbooks in the Old Dominion did better with $49.4 million in winnings while crafting an 11.5% win rate.
Handle in Colorado ticked 10% higher to $352.3 million, while the revenue bump lagged close behind at 9.2%. Virginia had a higher spread as wagering picked up 13.7% to $429.3 million and winnings climbed 9.9% versus July 2024.
While Colorado operators did not attain a 20% hold on parlay wagering for the third straight month, a still-robust 18% mark led to $14.1 million in winnings from the multi-leg bets. The house also made its mark on baseball bets with an all-time monthly haul of $9.8 million thanks to a 9.4% win rate on $104.3 million worth of wagers.
The Centennial State’s favorite niche sport, table tennis, saw operator winnings of $1.7 million in July on a modest 7% hold against $24.6 million handle. The $15.1 million in year-to-date winnings for the house has already exceeded the full-year 2024 total of $14.4 million.
Virginia does not disclose operator handle and revenue figures, but did note in its monthly news release that 10 operators finished with positive AGR as the state collected $6.8 million in tax receipts. Colorado sportsbooks remitted $2.7 million in tax payments for July.
