- Sportsbooks in Pennsylvania saw $25.3 million in August revenue which is down month-over-month.
- August’s betting handle had $348.5 million in wagers, up 14.5% from July’s handle.
- Pennsylvania should see an increase in betting activity in September with the return of college football and the NFL.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Sports betting in Pennsylvania saw an increase in betting activity in August but revenue dropped for the second straight month.
Local sportsbooks saw the bulk of the action come in from mobile apps again, as the online market holds more than 90% of Pennsylvania sports wagering activity.
Revenue and handle from sports gaming are likely to increase starting with September as the NFL betting season will be in full swing, alongside college football lines.
Sportsbooks Launching In Pennsylvania
The report released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revealed that $348,520,369 was wagered in August, up 14.5% from the $304,415,503 seen in July.
Sportsbooks saw a 7.3% hold rate, with $25,315,958 in sports betting revenue. This is down 7.8% month-over-month from July’s $27,482,519.
Revenue has dipped overall in Pennsylvania with the lack of sports available to wager on. Sportsbooks expect a spike to be seen starting in September.
Pennsylvania is home to both the Philadelphia Eagles as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers. Local NFL fans will surely be jumping on sportsbooks apps to bet on their favorite teams. Sports gaming operators pushed out over $12 million in promotional spending in anticipation of this surge in gambling during the football season.
Mobile Sports Wagering Still Dominates
What has remained consistent, even in the summer, is that most all sports betting activity came from online gambling apps. A total of $318,131,156 wagers (91% of the total market) came from mobile bets.
FanDuel was the number one sportsbook in August, collecting $135.7 million in wagers for 42.6% of the online market. DraftKings came in second, seeing $80.4 million in bets for 25.3% of the market. Rounding up to the top three was BetMGM, seeing $28.4 million in bet for 8.9% of the online market.
Mobile sports betting has been the dominant gambling force in Pennsylvania all year and is expected to continue well into the football season.