Pennsylvania’s sports betting handle increased by a staggering 78 percent last month.
According to the latest revenue report published by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last week, the state’s sportsbooks processed a total of $194.5 million in sports bets during September. This was about $85.5 million more than the record $109 million handle posted in August. The massive jump can be attributed to the first full month of football betting, and of course, the burgeoning online market.
The revenue posted by the operators was almost $15 million, up from $9.9 million registered in August.
A breakdown of the numbers shows that internet wagering accounted for more than 81 percent of the total sports betting handle registered in the state during the month. Online sportsbooks processed about $158.15 million in sports bets, compared to $36.4 million wagered at retail operators.
The revenue registered by mobile sportsbooks was about $9.3 million in September. Retail operators, on the other hand, retained a total of $5.7 million from the handle.
Valley Forge Casino, FanDuel Lead the Competition
Boyd Gaming’s Valley Forge Casino Resort and its sports betting partner, FanDuel, reported the highest handle and revenue numbers in September.
The total value of sports bets processed by the operator was $88 million, which is around 46 percent of the collective handle. Of this, $85 million came from online customers, while $3.4 million was registered by the physical sportsbook.
The total revenue posted by FanDuel was $5.1 million, with the online app accounting for $4.8 million. The operator’s hold from retail customers was $376,243.
SugarHouse Casino posted the second-highest handle at $37.7 million. The operator’s revenue for the month was $2.9 million.
Just like with Valley Forge, a massive chunk of the handle posted by the Rush Street-owned property came from online customers. The PlaySugarHouse app took in $31.2 million in sports bets compared to $6.1 million wagered at the retail sportsbook.
SugarHouse Casino’s sister property, Rivers Pittsburgh, posted a total handle of $30.8 million and $2.1 million in revenue. However, the state’s highest retail handle of $7.3 million came from the BetRivers sportsbook at Rivers Casino.
Parx Casino in Bensalem had the fourth-highest handle at $21.1 million. Its revenue of $2.4 million, however, was the third-highest in the state.
The newly launched FoxBet Sportsbook at Mount Airy Casino posted $4.9 million in total handle, with $4.5 million coming in through its online app. The sportsbook is operated by The Star Group.
State Of Legal Pennsylvania Sports Betting
Pennsylvania was one of the first states to legalize regulated wagering following the annulment of the federal ban on sports betting last year.
Retail operations kicked off on Nov. 15 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. The market got off to a strong start, with the operator processing more than $1.41 million in wagers that month.
SugarHouse Casino and the Bensalem-based Parx Casino joined the Pennsylvania sports betting market in December, pushing the collective wagering handle to $16.2 million that month. By the end of January, there were six operators in the jurisdiction, and the number rose to eight in March.
However, it was not until May when the state rolled out mobile betting. Rush Street’s SugarHouse Sportsbook took Pennsylvania’s first online bet on May 28.
As of Sept. 30, there were 11 regulated sportsbooks in the Keystone State, with five of them offering online wagering.
The total value of bets wagered in Pennsylvania since the inception of sports betting in November 2018 is $607.5 million. The total amount retained by sportsbooks stands at $46.1 million, and the state’s revenue from taxes is about $16.4 million.
