With college football back in action and the NFL playoff races heating up, the Empire State went back to producing a $500 million online sports betting handle during the week ending Dec. 22.
The New York Gaming Commission reported that $526.4 million was wagered during a week that featured the first round of the new 12-team College Football Playoff and Week 16 of the NFL.
The latest handle was up 17.6% week-over-week and was the second-highest generated thus far in December.
New York’s nine online sportsbooks hauled in $34 million, a 7.6% decrease from the previous week but the ninth consecutive period with at least $30 million in profits. However, it marked the fourth consecutive week under $50 million and the third straight under $40 million.
The 6.5% hold was down from the previous week’s 8.2% and the lowest since the week ending Oct. 20. Compared to the same NFL week in 2023, wagering was up 26.5% but revenue fell 20%.
Back to normal
FanDuel returned to its normal routine during football season. After generating a handle under $200 million the previous week for the second time in nine weeks, the online operator took in $205.5 million during the week ending Dec. 22.
That was the most among all operators, with DraftKings finishing second at $167.5 million, an 18% week-over-week increase.
FanDuel’s revenue, however, fell 22% to $15.7 million on a 7.6% hold. DraftKings produced an almost identical revenue of $10.3 million, signaling a 6.1% win rate.
Wild week for ESPN BET
ESPN BET recorded a handle of $20.9 million, the largest since it launched in New York in late September, and up 203% week-over-week. The online sportsbook's previous high was $11.4 million set during the week ending Oct. 27.
That’s good news for New York sports betting's newest operator, which purchased WynnBet’s Empire State operating license earlier this year. A hold under 1% produced just $146,756, ESPN BET’s lowest amount of revenue generated in a single week.
Big week for BetMGM
BetMGM generated $40.9 million in wagers during the week ending Dec. 22 to finish third overall and narrowly edge Fanatics Sportsbooks, which had a handle of $40.8 million.
BetMGM also enjoyed revenue of $4.4 million, its second-highest this football season. Fanatics had a rough week, producing $574,203 off that massive handle.
Caesars rounded out the top five with a $35.9 million handle and hauled in $2 million in revenue. BetRivers finished behind ESPN BET for just the second time with a handle of $10.9 million.
