The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has released its sports betting figures for September, showing nearly 45% growth in revenues year-over-year. The Keystone State's sportsbooks took in over $53.5 million, with the PGCB collecting $18.2 million in taxes.
Those revenues came from a sports betting handle of over $811.2 million, which grew from over $726.3 million in Sept. 2023. Most of last month's handle came from online betting sites, with operators contributing more than $765.4 million. This was enough to beat the total sports betting handle from a year ago.
FanDuel leads PA
The most significant contributor was FanDuel Sportsbook through its agreement with Valley Forge Casino. The online platform handled over $316.8 million, while its retail sportsbook saw only $3.6 million in wagers. Those retail wagers accounted for just over 1.1% of Valley Forge Casino’s combined sports betting handle.
FanDuel and Valley Forge Casino earned over $27.3 million in revenues, accounting for over 51% of total monthly sports betting revenues in the Keystone State. The PCGB collected taxes at a 34% rate on this figure, earning over $9.3 million.
Other contributions
While FanDuel covered the majority of revenues in Pennsylvania, it wasn’t the only major contributor.
| Operator | Sept. Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino (DraftKings) | $33.3 million | $2.5 million |
| Rivers Pittsburgh (BetRivers) | $28.1 million | $1.9 million |
| Rivers Philadelphia (BetRivers) | $14.8 million | $1.4 million |
| Parx Casino | $19.1 million | $2.3 million |
| Harrah's (Caesars) | $25.1 million | $1.9 million |
| Valley Forge Casino (FanDuel) | $320.5 million | $27.4 million |
| Presque Isle | $31.6 million | $0 |
| Mount Airy (FOX Bet Sportsbook) | $850,260 | $77,044 |
| Mohegan (FanDuel) | $1.3 million | $195,409 |
| Hollywood Casino at the Meadows | $237.2 million | $13.1 million |
| Mohegan - Lehigh Valley | $1.6 million | $190,984 |
| Live! Casino Pittsburgh (FanDuel) | $1.6 million | $198,808 |
| Wind Creek | $1.4 million | $54,060 |
| Hollywood Casino Morgantown (ESPN BET) | $53.5 million | $2.5 million |
| Live! Casino Philadelphia (FanDuel) | $7.2 million | $1.2 million |
| Hollywood Casino York (ESPN BET) | $34.1 million | $833,903 |
| Parx Shippensburg | $67,737 | $19,112 |
The next most significant contributor was Hollywood Casino at the Meadows, which is partnered with DraftKings Sportsbook. DraftKings' online contributions and the racetrack's retail sportsbook added another $237.2 million to the sports betting handle, with $13.1 million of revenue.
The only other operator to handle more than $50 million was Hollywood Casino Morgantown. Like the Hollywood Casino partnered with DraftKings, this casino is owned by PENN Entertainment. PENN operates ESPN Bet through an agreement with Disney, and these online ESPN Bet contributions added to the over $53.4 million handle. From that handle, revenues were over $2.4 million.
Pennsylvania gaming grows as market looks to improve
The major growth in sports betting revenues helped power a state-wide 6.17% growth across all types of gambling, with other significant contributors including online slots and video gaming terminals.
While the state has shown growth in gambling throughout 2024, it's looking at expanding its scope. The PCGB recently began negotiations for Pennsylvania to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which would allow for poker liquidity across state borders.
