Pennsylvania Sportsbooks Surge To $726 Million In September Handle

Written By Corey Sharp on October 19, 2023 - Last Updated on October 20, 2023
Photo of the Philadelphia Eagles for a story about Pennsylvania sportsbook handle surpassing $726 million in September thanks to the return of NFL betting.

The summer slide is over as football betting has returned, much to the delight of sportsbook operators in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reported $726.3 million in total bets this September.

PA online sportsbooks brought in $66.1 million in revenue, a 12.2% year-over-over decrease.

PlayPennsylvania Managing Editor Chris Imperiale said:

“Pennsylvania sports betting received the massive boost it was waiting for with the return of NFL wagering in September. For the month, PA sportsbooks recorded more than $726 million in total bets, a massive 85% jump up from August, and around a 13% increase from a year ago in September 2022. This is a great performance from the market and an indication of what the next few months will look like with the football season in full swing.”

September 2023 numbers for Pennsylvania sports betting

Figures from the PGCB:

💰 Handle: $726.3 million (85% MoM increase; 13% YoY increase)

💸 Revenue: $66.1 million (116% MoM increase; 12% YoY decrease) / Adjusted Gross Revenue (taxable): $36.6 million

👐 Hold: 9.1% (up from 7.8% last month)

💻 Percent of bets placed online: 92.6%

🎁 Promotional credits: $29.5 million

🧾 September sports betting taxes: $12.4 million

🏢 State and local entities: $732,661.69

📱 Top sports betting app by handle: FanDuel Sportsbook PA with $256.4 million

📱 Top sports betting app by revenue: FanDuel Sportsbook PA with $30.2 million

Quick analysis from September PA sports betting figures

  • DraftKings Sportsbook PA just about caught up to FanDuel in online sports betting handle. Last month, DraftKings trailed FanDuel in market share, 34.8% to 28.9%. This month, DraftKings closed the gap even further, recording a 31.7% share compared to FanDuel’s 35.3%
  • Despite betPARX Sportsbook PA being in the second tier of sportsbooks, the operator crossed $1 billion in lifetime handle after posting $22.6 million in September. BetPARX finished seventh behind the usual market leaders and some smaller operators such as BetMGM Sportsbook PA, Barstool, Caesars Sportsbook PA and BetRivers Sportsbook PA.
  • As Barstool is exiting the gaming industry altogether, it actually has recorded strong handle figures over the last two months. Barstool had ceded market share to Caesars and BetRivers in recent months, but regained the fourth position behind FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM in August and September. Barstool is leaving the industry having generated the third-most lifetime handle in Pennsylvania at $1.7 billion.

PA sports betting handle & revenue by operator September 2023

LicenseeOnline BrandHandleRevenueHoldTaxes
Valley ForgeFanDuel$256,391,925$30,209,37111.80%$6,886,116
Hollywood MeadowsDraftKings$230,483,919$20,076,3308.70%$3,091,541
Hollywood MorgantownBetMGM$54,265,845$4,972,6709.20%$578,528
Hollywood Penn NationalBarstool$39,419,432($736,700)-1.90%($264,950)
Harrah's PhiladelphiaCaesars$36,237,360$1,504,7364.20%$261,747
Rivers PittsburghBetRivers$31,549,698$3,024,6949.60%$726,684
ParxbetParx$22,570,642$2,414,65810.70%$775,677
Rivers PhiladelphiaPlaySugarHouse$20,219,429$1,621,6338.00%$405,791
Hollywood YorkPointsBet$10,757,875$1,058,5089.80%$62,942
Live PhiladelphiaBetway$8,191,672$849,68410.40%$305,886
Mohegan PennsylvaniaUnibet$7,133,111$485,3316.80%$132,496
Wind CreekWind Creek$2,050,045$161,0037.90%$57,098
South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook$1,829,914$311,83217.00%$112,259
Live Pittsburgh$1,746,080$27,6111.60%$9,940
Presque Isle Downs$1,316,926$93,3337.10%$33,600
Mohegan Lehigh Valley$1,291,399$6,3200.50%$2,275
Mount AiryFox Bet$686,596$24,8943.60%$8,962
Parx Malvern$62,700($4,663)-7.40%($1,679)
Parx Shippensburg$55,143$8,33015.10%$2,999
Total$726,259,711.80$66,109,573.759.10%$13,187,910.29
Photo by Jeff Lewis / AP
Corey Sharp Avatar
Written by
Corey Sharp

Corey Sharp is the Lead Writer at PlayPennsylvania bringing you comprehensive coverage of sports betting and gambling in Pennsylvania. Corey is a 4-for-4 Philly sports fan and previously worked as a writer and editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

View all posts by Corey Sharp
Privacy Policy
Newsletter Sign Up
Fill in the data to get the latest news from PlayPenn
You are already subscribed to our newsletter. Want to update your preferences data?
Your data was sent and sign up for PlayPenn newsletter confirmed
View Offers