After a slow summer, the PA sports betting market bounced back with the return of the NFL.
Pennsylvania sportsbooks combined for $645.2 million in September handle, leading to $75.3 million in revenue.
That represented a $282 million increase in handle from August.
In Sept. 2021, PA sportsbooks combined for $578.8 million in handle (12% increase year-over-year).
NFL return leads to bigger PA handle
PA sportsbooks combined for $700 million in handle and $75 million in revenue during July and August.
However, that was when there was a lesser menu of sports betting options available for those in Pennsylvania to wager on.
NFL betting is king, and the return of the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers made Pennsylvania no exception. September represented the state’s third-highest handle month in 2022.
Geocomply data from Eagles, Steelers games
On Sept. 19, there were over 76,400 geolocation checks at Lincoln Financial Field during the Eagles’ home opener, according to Geocomply data. Statewide, there were over 1.8 million geolocation checks during the same time period.
The Steelers’ Sept. 18 home opener at Acrisure Stadium produced 38,600 geolocation checks, Geocomply said. Statewide, their were over 2.3 million geolocation checks over that same time period.
October could also be a fruitful month for the state given the Phillies’ surprising playoff run.
PA’s rank in sports betting handle, revenue
By comparison, neighboring NJ amassed $866.7 million in September sports betting handle, down from $1.01 billion in Sept. 2021.
NY came in at a nation-high $1.26 billion.
PA is fifth nationally in 2022 handle, behind NY, NJ, IL and NV. It is No. 4 in revenue, way ahead of NV, which is unsurprising given Pennsylvania’s 36% effective tax rate.
FanDuel leads in PA sports betting
FanDuel ($212.9 million in handle) was PA’s No. 1 sportsbook during September, though DraftKings ($207.5 million) was within 1% of FanDuel — 35.4% market share to 34.5%.
BetMGM ($51.5 million) was third in market share, with Barstool Sportsbook ($41.1 million) taking fourth.
FanDuel did take in $33.5 million in September PA revenue, compared to $17 million for DraftKings.
