CONFIDENTIAL | 2026 OHIO STATE FAIR INTERCEPT DATA
Here is a comprehensive analysis of the 2,901 survey responses collected at the 2026 Ohio State Fair, focusing on the income levels of the respondents and how their financial profiles correlate with casino visitation, gaming budgets, rewards membership, and mobile app usage.
The O2O funnel successfully isolated high-ADT (Average Daily Theoretical) targets hidden within the general population.
What specific promotional offer will force a physical trip to the casino this month?
Self-reported active digital casino and sports betting applications.
Engagement levels among respondents with at least one active digital app.
Click on any zip code marker or region below to inspect localized lead density, VIP volume, and high-value player concentration.
Regional breakdown of verified state fair leads. Click any market to focus map.
The survey reveals a distinct split in the economic profile of respondents, with a large concentration of lower-income households alongside a substantial high-value affluent segment.
Because more than a third of the surveyed group falls into the lower-income bracket, the overall physical casino engagement trends skew toward casual or non-participating behaviors.
For both physical visits and digital gaming, specific promotional levers and brand preferences stand out across the surveyed demographic.
The Reality: 55.8% of respondents are not currently members of any casino rewards program, and 59.8% rarely or never visit a physical property.
Executive Perspective: In mature gaming markets like Ohio, competing casinos usually just recycle the same players back and forth using expensive bonus wars. Finding a verified database where more than half the leads are net-new, uncarded prospects is rare and valuable.
The Reality: The survey identified 88 VIP players ($1,000+ gaming budget) and 144 high-tier players ($500–$1,000 gaming budget).
Executive Perspective: If an executive host captures even 10% of those 88 VIPs, the theoretical win generated from those players will pay for the entire State Fair activation campaign many times over. Finding un-hosted whales in a general public crowd delivers a massive ROI.
The Reality: 21.5% of respondents earn $95,000+, and 11.1% are Retirees.
Executive Perspective: Non-gamblers with high household incomes are ideal acquisition targets because they have discretionary spend. Retirees, in particular, are the holy grail for filling mid-week daytime floor capacity.
The Reality: 30.4% of mobile gamers in the survey play on sports betting or casino apps on a daily or weekly basis.
Executive Perspective: This data bridges retail footprint to digital gaming. Active digital users who don't visit physical casinos can be instantly funneled into iGaming, online sportsbooks, or cross-promoted with digital free-play offers.
The Reality: 38.9% of respondents explicitly stated that Free Slot Play is their primary incentive to visit a property.
Executive Perspective: Free Slot Play is a low-marginal-cost incentive for a casino (costing pennies on the dollar compared to hard-cost comps like steak dinner or cash). Having a clear, low-cost lever that converts 39% of a cold audience makes campaign planning simple.