A second full month of NFL action combined with a full-swing college football season sent PA sports betting handle soaring to $241 million. The October numbers shattered the previous month’s record of $195 million.
According to the latest report from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), 82% of wagers were placed online. The preference for online wagering is nearly identical to last month.
FanDuel Sportsbook continues to crush the competition. It took about half of all bets placed in PA. FanDuel accounted for $118 million in handle. A whopping $114 million of the bets were placed on its online sportsbook.
The five PA online sportsbooks generated over $10 million in revenue in October. Retail sportsbooks tallied $4.6 million in revenue.
PA sports betting numbers for October 2019
Here is a look at the PA sports betting operators’ October numbers:
| Casino or Off-Track Betting Facility | Total Handle | Total Revenue | Online Handle | Online Revenue | Retail Handle | Retail Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge Casino | $118,042,775 | $5,800,924 | $113,935,565 | $5,645,194 | $4,107,210 | $155,730 |
| SugarHouse Casino | $37,224,117 | $2,720,698 | $30,009,534 | $1,906,859 | $7,214,583 | $813,839 |
| Rivers Casino | $34,268,260 | $1,784,975 | $26,553,097 | $1,085,365 | $7,715,163 | $699,611 |
| Parx Casino | $25,949,811 | $2,261,411 | $18,443,839 | $1,247,286 | $7,505,973 | $1,014,125 |
| Mount Airy | $10,387,320 | $509,253 | $9,746,233 | $422,453 | $641,087 | $86,800 |
| Presque Isle Downs | $3,194,587 | $194,829 | 0 | 0 | $3,194,587 | $194,829 |
| Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course | $2,958,213 | $350,083 | 0 | 0 | $2,958,213 | $350,083 |
| South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook | $2,808,684 | $402,272 | 0 | 0 | $2,808,684 | $402,272 |
| Harrah’s Philadelphia | $2,349,762 | $277,295 | 0 | 0 | $2,349,762 | $277,295 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | $2,093,817 | $305,697 | 0 | 0 | $2,093,817 | $305,697 |
| Oaks Race and Sportsbook | $1,135,541 | $162,127 | 0 | 0 | $1,135,541 | $162,127 |
| The Meadows | $773,178 | $178,682 | 0 | 0 | $773,178 | $178,682 |
| Statewide Total | $241,186,066 | $14,948,249 | $198,688,269 | $10,307,158 | $42,497,797 | $4,641,091 |
FanDuel crushes the competition
Since entering the PA market in late July 2019, FanDuel immediately ascended to the top. October represents the third straight month it has led the state in handle and revenue. It’s also seen a month-over-month increase in market share of all online betting in PA.
FanDuel’s percentage of PA’s total online handle:
- August: 42%
- September: 54%
- October: 57%
FanDuel doled out $2.4 million in bonuses in October, which was only a $41,469 increase from September. Still, even without the added incentives, it continues to distance itself from competitors.
The rest of the sportsbooks
Rounding out the top four in PA handle, but still finishing way behind FanDuel, were Rivers Philadelphia ($37 million), Rivers Pittsburgh ($34 million) and Parx ($25.9 million).
Fox Bet debuted in September with a big promotional push. However, it had a lackluster start taking just $4.5 million in bets. A full month of operation contributed to an uptick. In October, Fox Bet took $9.7 million in bets for $422,453 in revenue.
Parx and Rivers retail sportsbooks continue to battle for the top position in the state, each handling over $7.5 million and $7.7 million, respectively.
Handle spiked, but revenue only grew $59,377 from the previous month to nearly $15 million. PA pulled in $5.3 million in taxes from online and retail sportsbooks in October.
New PA online sportsbooks in November
November was a busy month for the growing PA market. DraftKings launched through Penn National’s license in early November. In New Jersey, DraftKings is FanDuel’s top competitor. Will the same hold true in PA?
European bookmaker Unibet debuted with an online casino and sportsbook on Nov. 12.
Neither Unibet nor DraftKings was included in the most recent PGCB revenue report.
