Compared to last year, racinos in Ohio had a strong January with increased revenue of 9%. In addition, the revenue was 7.5% up at Columbus’ Scioto Downs. The casino revenue, on the other hand, remained more or less the same with the earnings of Hollywood Columbus declining by 2.2% compared with January 2015.

The numbers came after several good months for Ohio’s casinos last year. Hollywood Columbus, in particular, had a 5.2% increase in revenue in December 2015 after a rise of 3% in November. Scioto Downs also had strong November and December with its revenue increasing by double. Operators believe that this is due to the opening of the new brewpub restaurant.

The racinos had an overall better month compared to the casinos. Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Mahoning and Northfield Park reported a double increase in their revenues compared to January last year. Only ThistleDown in the Cleveland area saw a slight revenue decrease.

The yearly calendar might have affected the revenue numbers for the state casinos. Last year, New Year’s Day was on Thursday and many people took a four day weekend enjoying more leisure time. According to Ashley Redmon from Scioto Downs, the casino usually has more visitors when there are extra weekend days.