Legal sports betting really took off in Pennsylvania last month.
Three new sportsbooks opened up. Plus, according to figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) on Feb. 15, the fledgling industry’s monthly handle numbers almost doubled.
The numbers show the six PA sportsbooks operational in at least part of January took in $32,011,839 in wagers. This was close to double the $16,173,090 in bets the three PA sportsbooks open in December 2018 brought in.
PA’s three new sportsbooks
Plus, it is worth noting the three new sportsbooks that opened in January were not operational for the full month:
- The Sportsbook at Parx Casino opened Thursday, Jan. 10.
- Parx’ South Philadelphia Turf Club in Philadelphia launched sports betting operations on Thursday, Jan. 17.
- The Book at Harrah’s Philadelphia started taking bets on Thursday, Jan. 24.
Despite the big jump in monthly handle, PA sports betting revenue was only up to $2,607,205 from $2,006,546 in December 2018. Additionally, PA sportsbooks generated $938,597 in taxes in January, compared to $722,356 in December.
PA sports betting numbers
Here is a complete look at the PA sports betting handle, revenue, and tax revenue numbers for each PA sportsbook in the month of January:
| Sportsbook | Handle | Revenue | Tax Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| SugarHouse Casino | $10,795,121 | $103,523 | $37,268 |
| Rivers Casino | $9,543,112 | $853,316 | $307,194 |
| Parx Casino | $5,382,620 | $1,170,348 | $421,325 |
| Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course | $4,817,151 | $284,624 | $102,465 |
| Parx South Philadelphia Turf Club | $858,130 | $91,835 | $33,061 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | $615,704 | $103,569 | $37,285 |
| Statewide Total | $32,011,839 | $2,607,205 | $938,597 |
February numbers could be even greater, with the possibility of as much as $30 million bet at PA sportsbooks on the Feb. 3 Super Bowl.
Plus, the numbers are expected to grow even more come March with sportsbooks at Valley Forge Casino, Presque Isle Downs, and the Valley Forge Turf Club expected to be operational by then. The NCAA tournament won’t hurt either, as the three-weeks long March Madness has emerged as one of the country’s largest betting events.
PA’s top-earning sportsbooks
In the meantime, as the numbers above show, SugarHouse Sportsbook took the top of the PA sports betting industry, bringing in approximately $10.8 million in bets. Of course, the numbers come as no surprise considering SugarHouse is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city.
What is somewhat surprising is that SugarHouse was only able to generate $103,523 in revenue from that. Philadelphia sports fans are apparently proving to be sharp handicappers.
December 2018’s top sportsbook, Rivers, brought in $9.5 million in bets and generated $853,000 in revenue. However, The Sportsbook at Parx Casino was monthly revenue king. It generated $1,170,348 in revenue off of $5,382,620 in handle, even though Parx didn’t start taking bets until Jan. 10.
Finally, the state proved to be PA sports betting’s next biggest winner. PA’s six sportsbooks generated a total of $938,597 in tax revenue, which means the state earned more than every other sportsbook outside of Parx. Plus, it was a pretty close second.