Ohio Surpasses $20 Billion All-Time Handle With Strong April

Ohio became the fastest state in the post-PASPA era to surpass $20 billion in total handle after the state’s Casino Control Commission and Ohio Lottery reported a combined $808.2 million worth of wagers for April.

The Buckeye State crossed the threshold in 28 months, easily beating the previous mark of 34 established by Illinois. Ohio also became the 11th state to reach the milestone handle figure, highlighted by $1 billion handles in the launch month of January 2023, plus November 2024 and January 2025.

April’s handle was up 19.9% compared to last year, while the $75.1 million in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) was up 1.4%. Operators totaled $73.8 million in gross revenue, resulting in a 9.1% hold. The state’s 14 mobile sportsbooks combined to offer $24.3 million worth of promotional credits and bonuses, a year-over-year increase of 20.8%.

The state collected just over $15 million worth of tax receipts, but the $59.7 million accrued the first four months of 2025 is $4.2 million behind last year’s pace. The $298.4 million in taxable operator winnings is down 6.5% from 2024 as the 8.4% statewide hold is 2.4 percentage points lower.

bet365 consolidates status as No. 3 book for handle

In states where bet365 has entered the marketplace with synchronized launches, the England-based sportsbook has made it a point to aggressively spend at the outset to gain market share it later attempts to maintain. Four months into its third year in Ohio, bet365 has firmly staked out its spot at the top of the second tier of mobile operators behind DraftKings and FanDuel.

It followed up a record $89.9 million handle from March with another $77.2 million in accepted wagers for April — Its third-highest total in Ohio and up 57.8% compared to 12 months prior. The figure looks even more impressive considering its $1.3 million promotional spend was down 18.6% year-over-year.

That outlay was slightly more than BetMGM, slightly less than ESPN BET, and barely half the $2.3 million spent by Fanatics. Those are the three peers bet365 vies with for that No. 3 spot in Ohio. In terms of performance, bet365 fashioned an 8.2% hold to claim $6.3 million in AGR, up 23.9% from April 2024.

Fanatics had the best month among the three operators with a 9.9% hold that resulted in $4.6 million AGR from $46.3 million in wagers. BetMGM had a higher handle at $53.2 million but kept only $3.7 million on a 6.9% hold. ESPN BET saw year-over-year handle plummet 32.9% to $24 million, but did notch a 9% win rate to claim $2.2 million in winnings.

A good April for FanDuel and DraftKings

FanDuel also hit an Ohio-based milestone in April, surpassing $900 million in all-time taxable revenue after claiming $29.9 million in winnings. The juggernaut narrowly missed an 11% hold against $271.7 million handle and aggressively protected its market share with an $8 million-plus promotional outlay.

That was up 18.7% year-over-year and sent its all-time spend in the Buckeye State above $400 million. Of course, all that revenue does have a price: FanDuel also surpassed $150 million in total remittance to the state since launch.

DraftKings extended its streak of months with at least $20 million AGR to eight with a $23.1 million haul. It crafted a 9.3% win rate while accepting $248.6 million worth of wagers and also courted its bettors well. DraftKings’ $8.5 million in credits and bonuses awarded was up 28.5% versus April 2024 and raised its all-time spend in Ohio to $329 million.

Meanwhile, in Virginia…

April was a good month for sportsbooks in the Old Dominion as the Virginia Lottery reported $62.8 million in gross revenue, a year-over-year increase of 3.6%. The house finished with a collective 10.3% hold against $609.7 million handle, with wagering up 8.2% and the win rate down nearly one-half of a percentage point.

It was the third time this year sportsbooks posted a double-digit hold, with March the only miss at 7.4%. The state was able to levy taxes on $56.1 million in AGR, redirecting $8.5 million to its coffers. The Virginia Lottery does not report handle and revenue figures by operator, but noted 11 operators finished with positive AGR for the month.

April’s 10.3% hold maintained the year-to-date mark as gross revenue is up 15% compared to the first four months of 2024 at $267.7 million. Taxable operator winnings are up slightly higher at 16.4% to $244.1 million, and the $36.7 million in tax receipts is nearly $6 million ahead of last year’s pace.

The $2.59 billion handle in 2025 is up 8.2% year-over-year.