The 2020 lottery sales in Ohio increased by 15% but VLTs and casinos suffered immensely because of the pandemic. The sale of scratch-off tickets helped the lottery earn $500 million more during the year. The absence of Ohio online casino meant bigger downfalls for the state as the casinos and racinos suffered from shutdowns.

Good growth in the pandemic year

The Ohio Lottery Commission reported its annual financial figures for the year 2020 and reported double-digit growth in sales during the year. Total sales in 2020 were $3.8 billion, which is 15% more than the $3.3 billion in 2019. Scratch-off tickets accounted for 84% of the $500 total nominal increase on a yearly basis. This means that Ohio citizens bought scratch-off tickets worth $426 million more this year.

The increase in sales would lead to more funds being diverted to school funding. The Lottery dedicated 25% of its revenue to the Lottery Profits Education Fund. The exact amount it earmarks will only be known when the fiscal 2020 ends in June. Lottery spokeswoman Danielle Frizzi-Babb said that the record activity in scratch-off cards started in the first half of 2020 and continue to the rest of the year.

Lottery director Pat McDonald said in a statement,

“People have been limited in their entertainment options for the last ten months, and lottery games proved to be a fun socially distanced form of entertainment.”

Casinos still suffering due to the pandemic

The state casinos and racinos are reeling under pressure because of the virus outbreak and the subsequent restrictions following it. According to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the total revenue for the industry in 2020 was $643 million which was almost 24% down from $851 million posted in 2019.

The land-based gaming facilities of the state remained closed According to till mid-June because of which April and May remained zero revenue months. Ohio has 11 brick-and-mortar facilities that managed to get record revenues which were 6.7% higher year-on-year in October this year. These all-time highs can offset some of the damage that casinos suffered but cannot eradicate the issues completely.