Butler County school districts learned Tuesday that collectively they’ll be receiving nearly $1.2 million by Jan. 31 from the state’s first distribution of tax revenue on casino profits.

The Ohio Department of Taxation released the tally of $38 million in payments going out to about 1,000 institutions, including public school districts, as well as charter and joint vocational schools.

“We’re happy that schools are benefiting from this additional funding and trust they will use it to benefit children,” John Charlton, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education said.

As the largest district in Butler County, Lakota Local Schools would receive the most at $351,738. The smallest amount, $15,464, would go to New Miami Local School District.

Hamilton City Schools spokeswoman Joni Copas said the district welcomes the $204,993 it will receive.

“All districts are struggling in balancing their budgets,” Copas said. “Any money we can get from the state or federal governments would obviously be a help. It surely won’t be a fix-all, but anything will help.”

Middletown City Schools Treasurer Kelley Thorpe said the $133,679 her district received was about what she expected based on the estimates sent out by the Ohio Department of Education last fall.

“Obviously, I’m excited about any additional revenue coming into the school district, but I’m withholding my excitement for a little bit pending what the governor’s new funding formula looks like in February,” Thorpe said. “The last time school districts got money from something like this, the Ohio Department of Education then reduced our funding because of it.

“Basically, we still got the same dollar amounts between the two when the stimulus money came out several years ago. The stimulus funds actually lowered our normal payments and then added the stimulus money in there to equal what we were getting,” she said.

Ohio voters in 2009 amended the state constitution to allow casinos in Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati. The state levies a 33 percent tax on adjusted gross gambling revenue, which is the amount left after winners are paid.

School districts in Ohio will share 34 percent of that tax revenue and will receive two casino payments per year.

The distribution figures were announced a day after the Ohio Casino Control Commission released its monthly casino revenue report showing all three casinos combined to bring in more than $56.6 million in December, up 5 percent from $54 million in November.

Ohio’s 88 counties and cities with more than 80,000 residents also will be receiving their 50 percent share of the casino revenue tax by the end of the month.

Local governments receive four casino payments each year. As of January 31, Butler County government will have received three payments that total more than $1.8 million — $322,974 from casino revenue payment in July, $644,631 in October, and $856,753 from the January distribution, the county’s third payment.

The County Commissioners’ Association of Ohio estimated that Butler County will earn $5.5 million from casino revenue in 2013, but commissioners budgeted $4 million, according to Don Dixon, county commission president,

The January disbursement for the county was “just a little less than what we anticipated, but not much,” Dixon said.

“It’s almost on target,” he said. “If anything it’s a little low, but it’s not on pace for what the County Commissioners Association estimated.”

Revenue from the casinos are “a big help” to the general fund, which helps pay for everything from police and judges to the treasurer’s office, recorder’s office and all the services that the county provides, Dixon said.

“It’s not a huge amount, but it’s a lot of money,” he said of the January disbursement. “It’s a help. Every bit we can squeeze out to pay down the debt just helps keep the county taxpayers’ portion that they pay less.”