by Gwyneth Falloon
Fri, August 22nd 2025 at 8:03 PM
Miami Valley gaming venues anticipate high traffic with Bengals and Buckeyes in spotlight (Dayton 24/7 Now Photo)
DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) — The NFL preseason is well underway and Week 0 of the college football season kicks off this weekend. With both the Bengals and Buckeyes being teams to watch this season, sportsbooks across the area are gearing up for yet another busy fall.
“We’re going to see a big uptick come football season,” said Dave Schleter, sportsbook manager at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway.
Casinos throughout the Miami Valley said they’re ready for the 2025 NFL and college football season.
“The highest amount of wagering is during football season, as that culminates to the National Championship and Super Bowl,” Miami Valley Gaming’s senior director of operations, Gary DeWitt, said.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission reports Ohioans wagered nearly nine-billion dollars in 2024, with a noticeable jump from August to September.
“Right before your noon kickoff, we’ll certainly see an increased level of traffic on Saturday mornings,” DeWitt shared. “[It’s] really the same thing on Sunday as well.”
DeWitt said football season is his busiest and Schleter agreed that’s true for Hollywood Gaming, too.
“We’re very happy to have sports betting in the state of Ohio,” Schleter said. “It’s changed the demographics to some effect. It skews a little bit younger than what the typical demographic for the VLT machine.”
Schleter said that’s been one of the biggest positives since sports betting’s legalization in 2023, giving new and returning faces another form of entertainment.
“They’ll come up and they’ll give us a hard time. They’ll make fun of me because I’m a Steelers fan,” he recalled. “I’ll make fun of them because they’re Brown fans or Bengals fans. It’s just about the rapport that we build and just the excitement of the season.”
But before you place your bets, casinos remind you to gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know is struggling, there are resources to help. You can call 1-800-589-9966 or visit Ohio’s responsible gaming website.
