To say that things are going well for Pennsylvania sports betting is a bit of an understatement these days.
PA sportsbooks eclipsed $300 million in wagers for the first time in November, as the amount bet in the state in a single month has almost tripled in just three months, according to figures from the state’s gaming control board.
The state also hit the milestone of $1 billion wagered since the sports gambling industry went live in the state just over a year ago.
And FanDuel Sportsbook continues to take more bets than anyone else in the state.
A closer look at PA sports betting in November
The total amount bet on sporting events in PA climbed to $316.5 million last month, up from $241.2 million in October. The vast majority of that figure came online. More than 84% of bets came via PA online sportsbooks.
PA sports betting revenue meanwhile stayed steady at $14.7 million, despite the increase in the amount wagered. The state has seen just shy of $15 million in revenue in each of the past three months.
Why is PA sports betting growing?
The biggest changes in recent months have been easy to spot in terms of why growth has been achieved so quickly:
- The start of online betting this summer has quickly supercharged the PA sports betting market.
- Football season, the busiest time of year for legal sportsbooks, comes with the start of fall. And that has meant for users and more betting activity for PA sportsbooks.
- There are now more choices for sportsbooks around the state. In November, there were seven online sportsbooks, and now there are eight. More competition (and therefore more marketing) helps lead to more money being bet.
By way of comparison in August, when online betting was still finding its foothold, total handle in the state amounted to just $109 million.
PA sports betting numbers for November 2019
Here’s a look at the numbers for operators in terms of revenue and handle:
| Casino or Off-Track Betting Facility | Total Handle | Total Revenue | Online Handle | Online Revenue | Retail Handle | Retail Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FanDuel/Valley Forge Casino | $152,988,559 | $5,830,606 | $149,744,241 | $5,638,115 | $3,244,318 | $192,492 |
| SugarHouse/Rivers Philadelphia | $41,286,786 | $1,596,627 | $32,421,342 | $234,951 | $8,865,444 | $1,361,676 |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | $39,471,761 | $1,613,917 | $30,588,520 | $486,449 | $8,111,487 | $1,127,468 |
| Parx | $30,473,226 | $2,003,358 | $22,361,739 | $1,264,077 | $8,111,487 | $739,281 |
| DraftKings/The Meadows | $18,065,136 | $1,401,570 | $16,246,801 | $1,051,662 | $1,817,335 | $349,909 |
| FOX Bet/Mount Airy | $14,363,804 | $1,073,722 | $13,495,778 | $1,030,042 | $868,026 | $43,680 |
| Unibet/Mohegan Sun Pocono | $4,355,213 | $126,478 | $1,881,498 | ($46,642) | $2,473,714 | $173,120 |
| Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course | $3,769,098 | $48,520 | 0 | 0 | $3,769,098 | $48,520 |
| Presque Isle Downs | $3,678,898 | $302,458 | 0 | 0 | $3,678,898 | $302,458 |
| South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook | $3,620,304 | $339,310 | 0 | 0 | $3,620,304 | $339,310 |
| Harrah’s Philadelphia | $3,042,467 | $234,355 | 0 | 0 | $3,042,467 | $234,355 |
| Oaks Race and Sportsbook | $1,353,013 | $149,765 | 0 | 0 | $1,353,013 | $149,765 |
| Statewide Total | $316,468,265 | $14,720,686 | $266,739,919 | $9,658,654 | $48,955,591 | $5,062,034 |
FanDuel Sportsbook still crushing the competition
There was more than $266 million bet online in PA during the month. A staggering $150 million of that came via FanDuel Sportsbook, which is partnered with Valley Forge Casino in the state.
That means all of the other operators in the state combined for just $116 million, or well less than half of online handle.
Also a staggering number: Of the more than $1 billion wagered in the state so far, more than a third of that has coming via FanDuel online — $387 million.
Slow start for DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook has been the other major player in sports betting as online wagering has opened up across the country. So DraftKings going live last month figured to move the needle. And while it did, it also seemed not to live up to lofty expectations.
Of the active online operators in the state, DraftKings tallied $16.2 million in handle, good only for fifth place.
That number is sure to grow in the immediate future, but the late start has certainly throttled DraftKings’ short-term impact on the market.
The rest of the PA online sportsbooks
- The combined online sportsbooks of the Rivers Casinos in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh continue to be the biggest competitor for FanDuel, with $63 million in online handle.
- Parx Sportsbook still sits in fourth place with $22 million in handle.
- FOX Bet still has a slow growth trajectory, slotting in behind DraftKings at $13.5 million handle.
- Unibet launched last month and started with $2 million in wagers in November.
