Pennsylvania sportsbooks can’t wait for the return of football. Handle dropped to $304.4 million in July, the lowest since July 2020. Bettors wagered about 25% less than they did last month.
Sportsbooks reported $27.5 million in revenue in July according to figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. It’s a 35% month-over-month decrease in revenue for sportsbook operators. Handle declined each month since March 2021.
Nearly all bets have been placed online (90.5%) as has been the trend since sports betting apps launched in PA in the summer of 2019. Sportsbooks’ win percentage/hold was 9%, a small decrease from 10.1% in June. The state collected $6.7 million in taxes from sports betting in July and an additional $397,124 went to local entities.
FanDuel continues to be the top sportsbook in Pennsylvania for handle ($106.7 million) and revenue ($12.3 million). Through its partnership with Valley Forge Casino, FanDuel took nearly 39% of all bets placed in PA in July.
A slow July for PA sportsbooks
From July 2020 to July 2020, handle increased 87%. However, towards the end of July 2020, major sports were just starting to resume in their respective bubbles after COVID shutdowns. Handle also dipped in New Jersey in July ($578.7 million). Illinois recently released June sports betting numbers and reported a handle of $476.5 million.
Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayPennsylania commented:
“Even with the NBA Finals and the Olympics to help boost the schedule this year, bettors in Pennsylvania and beyond just don’t engage sportsbooks as much during July. This year in particular saw a surge in nationwide travel, which means people were occupied with family vacations and other summer activities. That said, sportsbooks cannot wait for football season to ramp up.”
In July, Pennsylvania bettors hardly had any “home team” options to choose from. The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t make it past the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers failed to qualify for the NHL playoffs and the Pittsburgh Penguins lost in the first round. The Phillies show quick glimpses of putting .500 in their rearview only to stumble and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in last place. In terms of the popularity of Major League Baseball outside of the two PA teams, NFL preseason games attracted more betting interest than baseball’s marquee summer event, the Field of Dreams game.
FanDuel took 61% more bets than its next closest competitor. DraftKings continues to hold the No. 2 spot in PA with a July handle of $66.2 million and $4 million in revenue. BetMGM maintains the No. 3 spot. Barstool’s July handle ($23.4 million) was the lowest since launch. Gross revenue for Barstool PA sportsbook in July was $2.3 million, a decrease from June’s $3.2 million.
PA sports betting handle & revenue by operator in July 2021
| Licensee | Online Brand | Total Handle | Total Revenue | Online Handle | Online Revenue | Retail Handle | Retail Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge | FanDuel | $108,483,759 | $12,424,478 | $106,726,317 | $12,330,640 | $1,757,442 | $93,838 |
| Meadows | DraftKings | $67,206,392 | $4,202,871 | $66,227,006 | $4,039,532 | $979,386 | $163,339 |
| Hollywood Morgantown | BetMGM | $29,042,453 | $2,278,758 | $29,042,453 | $2,278,758 | $0 | $0 |
| Hollywood Penn National | Barstool | $24,452,000 | $2,464,257 | $23,434,062 | $2,330,453 | $1,017,938 | $133,804 |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | BetRivers | $17,903,344 | $1,611,007 | $14,459,898 | $1,331,713 | $3,443,446 | $279,294 |
| Rivers Philadelphia | SugarHouse | $14,919,667 | $944,593 | $9,041,045 | $680,099 | $5,878,622 | $264,494 |
| Parx | Parx | $11,864,283 | $1,221,992 | $7,885,530 | $745,087 | $3,978,753 | $476,905 |
| Mount Airy | Fox Bet | $10,435,080 | $779,115 | $10,036,070 | $709,376 | $399,010 | $69,739 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | Unibet | $5,305,144 | $445,587 | $4,536,408 | $316,936 | $768,736 | $128,651 |
| Presque Isle | TwinSpires | $4,066,940 | $415,710 | $2,143,799 | $179,276 | $1,923,141 | $236,434 |
| Live Philadelphia | Betway | $4,039,789 | $250,186 | $563,481 | -$32,239 | $3,476,308 | $282,424 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | Caesars | $2,454,034 | $68,004 | $947,532 | -$126,967 | $1,506,502 | $194,971 |
| South Philly OTB | N/A | $1,502,528 | $165,009 | $0 | $0 | $1,502,528 | $165,009 |
| Live Pittsburgh | N/A | $1,068,594 | $95,703 | $0 | $0 | $1,068,594 | $95,703 |
| Wind Creek | Wind Creek | $958,952 | $54,054 | $406,259 | $6,284 | $552,693 | $47,769 |
| Lehigh OTB | N/A | $712,545 | $61,195 | $0 | $0 | $712,545 | $61,195 |
| Total | $304,415,503 | $27,482,519 | $275,449,861 | $24,788,949 | $28,965,642 | $2,693,570 |
Pennsylvania sportsbooks coming off a record year
June 2021 ended a record fiscal year for Pennsylvania sportsbooks. In FY 2020/2021, PA sportsbooks had a record $5.6 billion in handle and $440.6 million in revenue.
Fiscal year 2020/2021
- Handle: $5.6 billion
- Revenue: $440.6 million
- Taxable Revenue: $308.8 million
- State tax: $105 million
- Local share: $6.2 million
Pennsylvania levies the highest tax on sports betting revenue at 36%. The money collected from taxes from sports betting goes into the general fund; 34% is a state tax and 2% is a local share assessment.
July fantasy sports figures
DFS operators saw a decrease in revenue, too. Fantasy operators reported $1.5 million in revenue in July, a drop from $1.9 million in June. DraftKings ($831,907) and FanDuel (729,606) dominate nearly all of the DFS market in PA.
Lead Image: FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge Casino.by Katie Kohler.
