No surprises here.
On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Gaming and Control Board (PGCB) released its fantasy contest report for June. And once again, FanDuel and DraftKings dominated the market.
Pennsylvania’s seven daily fantasy operators had a total of $1,592,313 in fantasy contest revenues for June 2019. The state collected $238,847 in taxes last month.
The state receives 15% of adjusted revenues from daily fantasy sports, much lower than the 36% tax rate used for PA sports betting.
Top DFS operators show strong gains off 2018
FanDuel finished first among DFS operators in June, producing $801,572 in revenue. That total was about a 63% gain based off its $490,039 for June 2018, just the second month DFS was operating in PA.
DraftKings also recorded strong growth on its 2018 total for June, finishing second among operators with $767,021 and a 50% growth rate over the previous year.
DRAFT finishes third behind DFS giants
Together, FanDuel and DraftKings combined for more than 98% of June’s DFS revenues.
DRAFT finished in third with a total of $13,065. That number was a 28.18% increase from DRAFT’s 2018 total in June.
The remaining DFS operators and their June 2019 totals were as follows:
- Yahoo Fantasy Sports:$6,664
- Fantasy Draft: $2,183
- Sportshub Technologies: $1,282
- Boom Fantasy: $527
Sports betting remains ahead of DFS revenues
Pennsylvania’s eight sportsbooks continue to finish ahead of DFS operators in revenue, a phenomenon that should continue with the growth in mobile sports betting.
In June, the total revenue for sports wagering was $2,056,819. SugarHouse and Parx sportsbooks are the leaders on that front. The statewide sports betting total gives sportsbooks roughly a $500,000 lead in revenues over daily fantasy operators. With the higher tax rate factored in, that produces a much greater windfall for the state budget.
How will mobile sports betting affect DFS?
This year will mark the first football season in which Pennsylvania residents have access to both sports betting and daily fantasy contests.
Can those two entities coexist? Or will the expanded opportunities for wagering infringe on daily fantasy revenues?
Certainly, online sports betting should create some sort of impact, but the products are different enough that both could continue to produce strong revenues.
DFS provides for a more specific rooting interest
While sports betting gives players a chance to wager on the outcome of a game, daily fantasy sports typically require building a lineup from specific players and set positions.
Thus, DFS players may be rooting for a Carson Wentz touchdown instead of any kind of score by the Philadelphia Eagles. Or DFS players may want a catch from Juju Smith-Schuster instead of any Pittsburgh Steelers first down. That specific nature of DFS can create another layer of excitement.
So it’s entirely possible that sports betting and DFS revenues can continue to coexist. And it’s especially beneficial from the state’s perspective, considering Pennsylvania receives tax revenue from both.