Pennsylvania sports betting joins the growing list of markets making big jumps in September.
Pennsylvania sportsbooks took $578.8 million in bets in September, according to a state report released Tuesday. That handle is up 66% from August’s $348.5 million.
Nearing the $600 million mark, September’s handle is the second-highest yet for the Keystone State, behind January 2021‘s $615.3 million. The September handle is also a 25% increase from September 2020, when Pennsylvania sportsbooks took $462.8 million in bets.
Revenue jumps for Pennsylvania sports betting
Pennsylvania sportsbooks generated $48.1 million in gross revenue, an 8.3% hold. That revenue figure is up 90% from August’s $25.3 million.
With the $19.9 million in promotions, there was $28.3 million in taxable revenue. Sportsbooks paid more than $10 million in state and local taxes in September.
September 2021’s taxable revenue is up 350% from the $6.3 million in September 2020. The sports calendar remained limited by the pandemic at that time.
Online dominance
PA online sportsbooks took $527.4 million in bets. That is 91% of the total handle in the month.
Operators were generous with promotions, awarding $19.9 million to bettors during the month, or 48.7% of the $40.9 million in revenue that online PA sportsbooks generated. Football season is a key time for operators to attract and retain customers.
FanDuel Sportsbook paced the market with $183.7 million in handle, while DraftKings Sportsbook trailed with $164.7 million. Barstool Sportsbook and BetMGM Sportsbook were a distant third and fourth, with $52.8 million and $50.7 million, respectively.
| Operator | Online Handle | Gross Revenue | Hold | Promos | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | $183.7 million | $21.2 million | 11.6% | $7.2 million | 34.8% |
| DraftKings | $164.7 million | $5.1 million | 3.1% | $3.1 million | 31.2% |
| Barstool | $52.8 million | $2.6 million | 5.0% | $1.7 million | 10.0% |
| BetMGM | $50.7 million | $5.6 million | 11.0% | $5.2 million | 9.6% |
| BetRivers | $19.8 million | $1.8 million | 9.3% | $576,408 | 3.7% |
| FoxBet | $15.2 million | $1.2 million | 7.9% | $401,684 | 2.9% |
| SugarHouse | $13.5 million | $1.2 million | 8.9% | $188,226 | 2.6% |
| Parx | $12.0 million | $1.0 million | 8.5% | $301,374 | 2.3% |
| Unibet | $7.3 million | $511,171 | 7.0% | $356,543 | 1.4% |
| TwinSpires | $3.5 million | $307,518 | 8.8% | $452,300 | <1% |
| Caesars | $2.4 million | $219,829 | 9.0% | $256,415 | <1% |
| Betway | $1.0 million | (-$23,818) | — | — | <1% |
| Wind Creek | $921,828 | $57,873 | 6.3% | $39,894 | <1% |
Big month for sportsbooks
The start of 2021 NFL betting has been productive for US sportsbooks. Many legal US sports betting markets set all-time handle records in September 2021.
Perhaps most notable was New Jersey, which became the first market to surpass $1 billion in a single month.
Other notable states to hit high points in September:
Multiple states also launched legal sports betting during September, including Arizona. That market was eagerly anticipated and early data shows bettors were hungry for sports betting.
