Figures released Thursday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) show the state’s licensed sports betting operators took in wagers worth $194.5m in September, up 78.4% from August’s figure, reflecting the undeniable impact of a new National Football League season on bettors’ interest. Betting revenue – minus bonus offers – shot up 144% to $14.9m.
The numbers were driven by online betting channels, which reported handle up 90% to $158.1m, roughly 81% of September’s total, around the same online/land split visible across the border in New Jersey. Online betting revenue (again, minus bonuses) nearly quadrupled to $9.27m. Retail handle rose 41% while revenue improved 58% to $5.65m.
The Valley Forge Casino and its FanDuel partner owned the individual operator betting title by claiming $88.5m of September’s handle, of which all but $3.4m was wagered online. Runner-up SugarHouse was well back at $37.7m ($31.2m online), while Rivers Casino placed third with $30.8m ($23.5m online).
The state welcomed The Stars Group’s FOX Bet brand last month in partnership with the Mount Airy casino, and the two combined for $4.9m in betting handle in September, good enough for fifth place on the monthly chart.
Switching to the state’s online casino market, the three online licensees reported total revenue of $5.32m, up 55% from August, which was their first full month of operations. Online slots revenue nearly doubled to $4.42m as slots handle rose by more than 50%, while table revenue was virtually unchanged at $900k despite handle falling nearly $3m to $46.8m.
PlaySugarHouse claimed half ($47.4m) of September’s slots handle but only $840k of slots revenue, while Penn National Gaming claimed $27.4m in handle but over $2.8m in slots revenue. Similarly, Parx scored only $18m in handle but took nearly $764k in slots revenue. Parx won the online table crown with $23.6m in handle and nearly $506k in revenue.
Meanwhile, the state’s land-based casino operations reported slots revenue of $188.4m, down 4% from September 2018, while table games were down 2.3% to $70.6m. (Cue histrionics regarding new gaming options cannibalizing the old.)
The return of NFL action also provided a boost for the state’s fantasy sports operators, who saw their revenue shoot up 37.3% to $2.9m.
Combining all gaming operations, Parx won the month with total revenue of $53.7m (+9.3%) with Wind Creek Bethlehem (formerly Sands Bethlehem) in second with $41.1m (-3.6%) and Rivers third with $32.9m (+10.5%).