Pennsylvania sportsbook operators can relate to the “Ted Lasso” character, Dani Rojas, when he joyfully says, “football is life.” Yes, he is referring to soccer, not American football. But sportsbooks echo a very similar sentiment. Football – the NFL and college football – is their lifeblood.
In September, sports betting handle in PA hit $578.8 million and revenue reached nearly $48.1 million. Both were the second-highest ever behind January 2020. Handle increased about 66% from August to September and revenue jumped 90%. In terms of YoY growth, it represented a 25% increase in handle.
Pennsylvania collected $9.6 million in taxes from sports betting and an additional $565,076 earmarked local entities.
FanDuel, through its partnership with Valley Forge Casino, remains the top sports betting app for handle ($183.6 million) and revenue ($21.2 million).
Big September for sports betting apps
It’s no surprise that is was a big month for PA sportsbooks. In early October, GeoComply reported that the first four weeks of the NFL season produced the highest number of geolocation transactions ever. New Jersey had the highest number of transactions followed by Pennsylvania.
The day before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board released figures for September, New Jersey reported $1 billion in bets were placed in September. It was the first time any state has ever reached the milestone.
FanDuel continues to rule PA, better month for Barstool
FanDuel remains the top sports betting app in PA. DraftKings saw its handle increase from $80.4 million in August to $164.7 million in September had revenue drop from about $8 million to $5.1 million. However, they maintain a firm grip on the No. 2 spot in PA.
Barstool edged out BetMGM and took back the No. 3 spot. Barstool PA took $52.7 million in bets and reported $2.6 million in revenue. It’s been about a year since Barstool launched its sports betting app in PA.
PA sports betting handle & revenue by operator September 2021
| Licensee | Online Brand | Total Handle | Total Revenue | Online Handle | Online Revenue | Retail Handle | Retail Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge | FanDuel | $187,553,372 | $21,649,572 | $183,653,729 | $21,229,917 | $3,899,643 | $419,656 |
| Meadows | DraftKings | $166,600,879 | $5,296,757 | $164,704,750 | $5,126,188 | $1,896,130 | $170,569 |
| Hollywood Penn National | Barstool | $54,986,748 | $2,962,942 | $52,770,687 | $2,634,689 | $2,216,060 | $328,253 |
| Hollywood Morgantown | BetMGM | $50,722,680 | $5,569,404 | $50,722,680 | $5,569,404 | $0 | $0 |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | BetRivers | $27,649,796 | $2,968,405 | $19,765,004 | $1,846,242 | $7,884,792 | $1,122,164 |
| Rivers Philadelphia | SugarHouse | $20,612,606 | $2,425,703 | $13,463,363 | $1,204,173 | $7,149,243 | $1,221,530 |
| Parx | Parx | $18,775,632 | $2,123,020 | $12,021,858 | $1,021,071 | $6,753,775 | $1,101,949 |
| Mount Airy | Fox Bet | $15,953,060 | $1,257,348 | $15,173,522 | $1,198,864 | $779,539 | $58,484 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | Unibet | $8,934,643 | $649,345 | $7,305,837 | $511,171 | $1,628,806 | $138,174 |
| Presque Isle | TwinSpires | $7,366,133 | $771,733 | $3,485,472 | $307,518 | $3,880,661 | $464,215 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | Caesars | $6,122,538 | $532,814 | $2,437,652 | $219,829 | $3,684,886 | $312,985 |
| Live Philadelphia | Betway | $5,673,405 | $652,464 | $1,011,808 | -$23,818 | $4,661,597 | $676,282 |
| South Philly OTB | $2,249,039 | $349,413 | $0 | $0 | $2,249,039 | $349,413 | |
| Wind Creek | Wind Creek | $1,824,545 | $246,320 | $921,828 | $57,873 | $902,718 | $188,446 |
| Hollywood York | $1,493,440 | $276,073 | $0 | $0 | $1,493,440 | $276,073 | |
| Lehigh OTB | $1,257,847 | $203,820 | $0 | $0 | $1,257,847 | $203,820 | |
| Live Pittsburgh | $984,381 | $178,538 | $0 | $0 | $984,381 | $178,538 | |
| Total | $578,760,746 | $48,113,670 | $527,438,189 | $40,903,119 | $51,322,557 | $7,210,551 |
September fantasy sports figures
Revenue increased month-over-month for DFS. Fantasy operators reported $3.2 million in revenue, a rise from $1.6 million in August. DraftKings ($1.9 million) and FanDuel ($1.3) account for nearly all of the DFS revenue in PA.
Lead Image: Rich Schultz/AP
