Pennsylvania’s sports betting operators nearly doubled their wagering handle in September, while the state’s online slots revenue was up by half.
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%).
