The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reported that sports betting operators generated new records in both handle and revenue in November. Platforms generated $935.5 million in total bets and $103.3 million in earnings last month.
The new mark for Pennsylvania sportsbooks narrowly beat last November’s handle of $934.1 million. The previous revenue record was $98.1 million, set back in December 2023.
Operators certainly cashed in on a record-setting month as hold percentage rebounded to 11% in November, compared to 6.8% in October.
Pennsylvania November sports betting at a glance
- Handle: $935.5 million (9% MoM increase; 0.1% YoY increase)
- Revenue: $103.3 million (77.8% MoM decrease; 110.4% YoY decrease)
- Adjusted Gross Revenue (taxable): $77.1 million
- Hold: 11% (up from from 6.8% last month)
- Percent of bets placed online: 94.8%
- Promotional credits: $26.2 million
- November sports betting tax revenue: $26.2 million
- State and local entities tax revenue: $1.5 million
- Top sports betting app by handle: FanDuel Sportsbook PA with $373.6 million
- Top sports betting app by revenue: FanDuel with $45.9 million
Operators get the better of the public
Pennsylvania sportsbooks made up for a bad October with a memorable November. It’s the first time ever operators crossed $100 million in revenue in a single month.
The public had won its fair share in October when sportsbooks recorded a hold percentage of 6.8% in the Keystone State. That certainly changed last month, when operators climbed all the way to 11% in hold.
FanDuel comfortably led the way again in both categories, posting $373.6 million in total bets and $45.9 million in earnings. DraftKings Sportsbook Pennsylvania recorded the $246.2 million and $27.8 million, respectively.
ESPN BET is slow, but steady
Since the start of football season, ESPN BET is starting to show some life, albeit in a small way. It’s the second straight month the operator has increased market share.
ESPN BET has been the subject of sale rumors over the summer because of poor performance. It has decreased in market in nearly every month since launching last November. However, it has picked up some momentum as of late.
Since dropping to 4.1% market share in September, the operator increased to 4.6% in October and 4.7% last month. Perhaps there’s hope for ESPN BET to stick around.
Three operators battle for fourth spot
The pecking order among Pennsylvania sports betting apps is FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM, very comfortably. The next three operators are in fierce competition.
ESPN BET nabbed the fourth spot in market share narrowly over Fanatics. Bet365 Sportsbook finished behind Fanatics. The following three looked like the following:
- ESPN BET: $43.8 million
- Fanatics: $42.6 million
- bet365: $39 million
Fanatics and bet365 are the newest operators of the launched, having launched this year. They are already making their presence felt.
However, ESPN BET isn’t going down without a fight. How these platforms perform over the course of 2025 is going to be extremely interesting.
PA sportsbook handle by operator in October
| Licensee | Online Brand | Handle | Revenue | Hold | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge | FanDuel | $373,601,446 | $45,937,759 | 12.3% | $13,253,047 |
| Hollywood Meadows | DraftKings | $246,173,745 | $27,837,567 | 11.3% | $7,578,699 |
| Hollywood Morgantown | BetMGM | $65,892,220 | $6,868,412 | 10.4% | $1,614,482 |
| Hollywood Penn National | ESPN BET | $43,838,539 | $3,701,820 | 8.4% | $1,038,804 |
| Hollywood York | Fanatics | $42,609,418 | $4,333,031 | 10.2% | $689,959 |
| Presque Isle Downs | bet365 | $39,047,364 | $3,706,356 | 9.5% | $208,593 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | Caesars | $36,284,656 | $1,273,373 | 4.7% | $479,205 |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | BetRivers | $35,098,668 | $3,532,123 | 10.1% | $1,001,740 |
| Parx | betParx | $21,067,168 | $2,309,888 | 11.0% | $768,233 |
| Rivers Philadelphia | PlaySugarHouse | $18,234,636 | $1,894,381 | 10.4% | $609,848 |
| Live Philadelphia | Betway | $7,280,767 | $918,187 | 12.6% | $330,547 |
| Wind Creek | Wind Creek | $1,486,659 | $132,200 | 8.9% | $47,592 |
| Live Pittsburgh | $1,434,998 | $116,101 | 8.1% | $41,796 | |
| Mohegan Pennsylvania | $1,314,386 | $113,307 | 8.6% | $40,791 | |
| Mohegan Lehigh Valley | $1,288,987 | $152,931 | 11.9% | $55,055 | |
| Mount Airy | $821,002 | -$3,221 | -0.4% | -$1,160 | |
| Parx Shippensburg | $55,511 | -$5,928 | -10.7% | -$2,134 | |
| Total | $935,530,170 | $103,268,288 | 11.0% | $27,755,097 |
