Like the sweet taste of the first sip of pumpkin spice, Pennsylvania sportsbooks started to get a small taste of what NFL and college football would bring in 2021. Handle in August was $348.5 million, a 14% increase from July. Sportsbooks reported $25.3 million in revenue, a 7.8% decrease from the previous month, according to figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
In August, and since sports betting apps launched in PA in the summer of 2019, the majority of wagers (91%) were placed online. Sportsbooks’ win percentage/hold for the month was 7.3%, a decrease from 9% in August.
Pennsylvania collected $6.1 million in taxes from sports betting and an additional $360,145 went to local entities.
FanDuel continues to rule. They reign as the top sportsbook in Pennsylvania for handle ($135.7 million) and revenue ($5.6 million).Through its partnership with Valley Forge Casino, FanDuel took nearly 42% of all bets placed online in PA in July.
PA sportsbooks awaken in August
August marked the first month since March 2021 that handle has increased at PA sportsbooks. Since the NCAA tournament ended, sportsbooks have experienced an expected decline. August offered NFL preseason action, a handful of college football games, and futures betting which provided a small spark.
Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayPennsylania commented:
“An inglorious exit from the NBA playoffs, the struggles of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the inconsistency of the Phillies, conspired to make this a relatively slow summer for Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks. It took just a handful of games in August to show how important football is to the sports-betting industry.”
FanDuel online sportsbook took 51% more bets than its next closest competitor. DraftKings maintains a firm grip on the No. 2 spot in PA with an August handle of $81 million and $8.2 million in revenue. BetMGM edged out Barstool PA sportsbook for the No. 3 spot with $28.4 million in handle compared to Barstool’s $28 million handle.
How did other states fare in August? In New Jersey in August, handle jumped 15% month-over-month to $665 million. Michigan online sportsbooks took $192.3 million in bets in August.
PA sports betting handle & revenue by operator in August 2021
| Licensee | Online Brand | Total Handle | Total Revenue | Online Handle | Online Revenue | Retail Handle | Retail Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge | FanDuel | $137,356,071 | $5,970,766 | $135,670,860 | $5,666,220 | $1,685,211 | $304,546 |
| Meadows | DraftKings | $81,326,183 | $8,216,375 | $80,390,135 | $7,993,988 | $936,048 | $222,387 |
| Hollywood Morgantown | BetMGM | $28,397,169 | $2,553,294 | $28,397,169 | $2,553,294 | $0 | $0 |
| Hollywood Penn National | Barstool | $27,902,318 | $2,200,365 | $26,276,900 | $2,132,868 | $1,625,419 | $67,497 |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | BetRivers | $17,593,146 | $1,362,066 | $13,156,357 | $882,274 | $4,436,789 | $479,792 |
| Rivers Philadelphia | SugarHouse | $15,386,504 | $866,449 | $10,332,466 | $692,350 | $5,054,037 | $174,099 |
| Parx | Parx | $10,552,361 | $1,246,098 | $6,415,534 | $713,282 | $4,136,827 | $532,815 |
| Mount Airy | Fox Bet | $9,030,245 | $764,022 | $8,597,984 | $749,103 | $432,261 | $14,918 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | Unibet | $5,008,088 | $394,281 | $4,234,885 | $307,601 | $773,204 | $86,680 |
| Presque Isle | TwinSpires | $4,179,484 | $355,332 | $2,283,874 | $147,448 | $1,895,610 | $207,883 |
| Live Philadelphia | Betway | $3,677,364 | $386,050 | $617,954 | $18,818 | $3,059,411 | $367,232 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | Caesars | $3,101,629 | $305,103 | $1,235,436 | $73,785 | $1,866,193 | $231,318 |
| South Philly OTB | $1,779,967 | $219,035 | $0 | $0 | $1,779,967 | $219,035 | |
| Wind Creek | Wind Creek | $1,018,354 | $95,993 | $521,601 | $78,195 | $496,752 | $17,798 |
| Lehigh OTB | $960,097 | $76,222 | $0 | $0 | $960,097 | $76,222 | |
| Live Pittsburgh | $830,643 | $153,944 | $0 | $0 | $830,643 | $153,944 | |
| Hollywood York | $420,747 | $150,564 | $0 | $0 | $420,747 | $150,564 | |
| Total | $348,520,369 | $25,315,958 | $318,131,156 | $22,009,226 | $30,389,213 | $3,306,731 |
August fantasy sports figures
DFS had an increase in revenue. Fantasy operators reported $1.6 million in revenue, a small bump from $1.5 million in July. FanDuel ($854,143) and DraftKings ($749,182) account for nearly all of the DFS revenue in PA.
Lead Image: FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge Casino.by Katie Kohler.
