Share 
The downward trend from March Madness continued into April for Pennsylvania sportsbooks.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that operators produced $641.6 million in handle and $77.2 million in Pennsylvania sports betting revenue.
Just like March Madness, April handle also declined year-over-year at a 9.8% rate.
April sports betting at a glance
- Handle: $641.6 million (12.2% month-over-month decrease; 9.8% year-over-year decrease)
- Revenue: $77.2 million (14.3% MoM increase)
- Adjusted Gross Revenue (taxable): $59 million
- Hold: 12% (up from 9.3% in March)
- Percent of bets placed online: 96.2%
- Promotional credits: $18.2 million
- April sports betting tax revenue: $20 million
- State and local entities tax revenue: $1.2 million
- Top sports betting app by handle: FanDuel Sportsbook with $219.8 million
- Top sports betting app by revenue (taxable): FanDuel with $31.8 million
Watching the trend
With the NBA regular season and college basketball winding down in April, the calendar isn’t all that full. The 12.2% month-over-month handle decrease is not concerning.
However, the industry saw a significant decline in March Madness betting, displaying a 13.3% drop. The same trend continued in April, with handle falling 9.8% year-over-year.
Pennsylvania is one of the most mature markets in the US, with sports wagering going live back in 2018. It’s possible the vertical has reached its plateau.
The summer months are going to be lean, just like in prior years, though, year-over-year handle totals will still be interesting to watch. The real litmus test will come during football season in September.
FanDuel falls into the trend
FanDuel Sportsbook fell even harder than the industry did as a whole. The operator’s handle dropped 18.5% year-over-year.
While multiple others posted steeper declines than FanDuel’s, DraftKings Sportsbook was able to capitalize. The operator slightly increased handle from last year at a 3.2% clip.
DraftKings has certainly been closing in on FanDuel. Last April, FanDuel captured 37.9% market share compared to DraftKings’ 26.8. This April, the margin narrowed to 34.2% versus 29.8%, respectively.
While FanDuel still leads the market, DraftKings has made significant inroads.
Tax milestone achieved
Pennsylvania sports operators also surpassed $1 billion in lifetime tax contributions in April.
Operators are taxed at a 36% rate, with 34% of revenue going into the General Fund while 2% goes to counties in the form of grants.
The state also puts aside 0.004% of revenue, combined, to problem gambling and drug and alcohol programs.
PA sportsbook handle by operator in April
| Licensee | Online Brand | Handle | Revenue | Hold | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge | FanDuel | $219,790,726 | $31,738,597 | 14.4% | $8,616,181 |
| Hollywood Meadows | DraftKings | $191,547,919 | $21,689,078 | 11.3% | $6,359,531 |
| Hollywood York | Fanatics | $52,517,707 | $6,249,069 | 11.9% | $1,826,238 |
| Hollywood Morgantown | BetMGM | $44,998,551 | $3,725,801 | 8.3% | $651,283 |
| Presque Isle Downs | bet365 | $37,932,516 | $4,606,513 | 12.1% | $1,007,996 |
| Hollywood Penn National | theScore Bet | $23,543,142 | $2,303,452 | 9.8% | $680,694 |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | BetRivers | $20,322,071 | $2,603,406 | 12.8% | $768,221 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | Caesars | $17,963,953 | $1,479,487 | 8.2% | $413,420 |
| Parx | betParx | $15,271,717 | $1,516,078 | 9.9% | $506,614 |
| Rivers Philadelphia | PlaySugarHouse | $8,610,652 | $800,740 | 9.3% | $227,542 |
| Live Philadelphia | Betway | $4,678,688 | ($171,973) | -3.7% | ($61,910) |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | $1,164,105 | $135,217 | 11.6% | $48,143 | |
| Live Pittsburgh | $920,263 | $102,503 | 11.1% | $36,901 | |
| Mohegan Lehigh Valley | $825,108 | $153,819 | 18.6% | $55,375 | |
| Wind Creek | Wind Creek | $796,697 | $167,654 | 21.0% | $60,356 |
| Mount Airy | $595,199 | $56,292 | 9.5% | $20,265 | |
| Parx Shippensburg | $87,618 | $17,463 | 19.9% | $6,287 | |
| Total | $641,566,630 | $77,173,196 | 12.0% | $21,223,137 |
