In November of 2018, Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry took its first regulated bet at The Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino.
Two months later, there were six operational retail sportsbooks in the state with at least another three on the way.
Each month, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) releases numbers related to sports betting at each of the locations.
Understanding the components of sports betting revenue
Included in those numbers are revenue for each of the books. However, that money should not be confused with what each sportbook’s handle is. A casino’s sports betting handle is the total number of dollars in wagers the sportsbook accepted. Some of those are winners and some of those are losers.
That is why revenue is a much smaller number than handle. In Nevada, the average handle of a sportsbook is just 5.5 percent. The handle in other states like New Jersey and Mississippi have been a little higher so far, but since the numbers are from football season, it stands to reason handle will level out once a full year is in the books.
These numbers will also jump tremendously once online sports betting launches.
Of that revenue, the state takes 34 percent in taxes. Additionally, there is a two percent tax that goes to the local governments where the sportsbooks are located.
Big picture PA sports betting revenue numbers
Total sports betting handle in PA history
Total sports betting revenue in PA history
Total sports betting taxes to date for PA
Month-by-month sports betting revenue breakdowns
January 2019
| Casino | Handle | Revenue | Tax | YTD total revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SugarHouse Sportsbook | $10,795,121 | $103,523 | $37,268 | $744,690 |
| Rivers Sportsbook | $9,543,112 | $853,316 | $307,194 | $1,919,473 |
| Parx Sportsbook | $5,382,620 | $1,170,348 | $421,325 | $1,170,348 |
| Hollywood Sportsbook | $4,817,151 | $284,624 | $102,465 | $808,219 |
| South Philadelphia Turf Club | $858,130 | $91,835 | $33,061 | $91,835 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | $615,704 | $103,569 | $37,285 | $103,569 |
| Total | $32,011,839 | $2,607,205 | $938,597 | $4,838,133.60 |
December 2018
| Casino | Handle | Revenue | Tax | YTD total revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers Casino | $5,581,553 | $1,066,157 | $383,816 | $1,066,157 |
| SugarHouse Casino | $5,539,806 | $641,167 | $230,820 | $641,167 |
| Hollywood Casino | $5,051,730 | $299,222 | $107,720 | $1,449,386 |
| Total | $16,173,090 | $2,006,546 | $722,356 | $3,156,710 |
November 2018
| Casino | Handle | Revenue | Tax | YTD total revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino | $1,414,586.55 | $508,996.60 | $183,238.77 | $508,996.60 |
| Total | $1,414,586.55 | $508,996.60 | $183,238.77 | $508,996.60 |