Operators in Pennsylvania handled a record $59.3m on sports bets in July as the online sportsbook handle doubled to $39m and overtook retail figures for the first time.
Pennsylvania sportsbooks took in $5.1m in revenue from betting – which declined to $2.9m after promotional credits (bonuses) – and paid $969,727 in taxes.
The amounts wagered broke the previous record set in June – the month in which online sports betting first launched – of $46.3m.
The market has significantly benefitted from the online roll-out, which accounted for $2.9m of total revenue, despite only four operators having launched in the channel. However operators spent $2.2m promotional credits, which ate up the bulk of online revenue, leaving $665,798.
Rush Street’s SugarHouse Casino led the market in July, accounting for $26.5m of amounts wagered, and $540,766 of revenue after bonuses. Having been the first to launch online wagering in the state in May, it continued to dominate the channel.
Online handle for the month amounted to $22.2m, with revenue of $1.5m representing a 22.2% month-on-month increase, helped by the launch of the state’s first iOS betting app.
However, as other casinos entered the market or experienced their first full months with a live sportsbook, SugarHouse’s share of the state’s online wagering handle fell from 94% in June to 56.8% in July.
Another Rush Street property, Rivers Casino, took second place for this month, with handle of $14.3m, from which it generated revenue of $1.2m. A total of $9.9m was spent online, with the channel accounting for $773,642 of the property’s sports betting revenue, though Rivers swung to a $250,941 loss once bonuses were stripped out.
Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment’s Parx Casino came in third, with revenue of $751,129 from stakes of $7.2m. It actually generated more money from its retail sportsbook than from online, which accounted for $414,730, compared to a $242,2440 contribution from its mobile offering. Two additional Greenwood properties, Oak Race and Sportsbook and the South Philadelphia Turf Club contributed revenue of $110,553 and $151,556 respectively.
The FanDuel-powered sportsbook at Boyd Gaming’s Valley Forge Casino, meanwhile, handled bets of $5.0m, from which it posted revenue of $133,730. Its mobile app accounted for revenue of $254,557.
There was also a first – retail only – contribution from Presque Isle Downs & Casino, which went live late in July. The venue’s SBTech-powered sportsbook contributed revenue of $45,469.
Looking to Pennsylvania’s fantasy sports market, monthly revenue grew strongly, with the $1.2m generated representing a 42% improvement on the $878,185 for July 2018.
DraftKings led the market, with its revenue of $681,932 up 56.0% year-on-year. Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel followed with $543,810. Draft, also owned by Flutter, came in third, though far behind the market leaders with revenue of $11,372.