According to PlayPennsylvania, the tracker of regulated online gaming and sports betting in the state, this proves the industry continues to grow and mature.
Katie Kohler, Analyst for PlayPennsylvania, explained how football was the reason behind this spike in betting interest: “Nothing stirs the sports betting drink like football, even when the Steelers and the Eagles get off to slow starts. Penn State made a difference in boosting interest, which certainly helps. The bottom line is every sportsbook wants a strong start to the football season, and that is exactly what Pennsylvania’s industry got in September.”
Online and retail sportsbooks generated $578.8m in wagers for September; up 25% from $462.8m for September 2020 and up 66% from $348.5m for August.
Since Pennsylvania legalised sports betting in 2018, the market has been growing constantly, but 2021 has been a very productive year. Through the first nine months of this year, bettors have placed $4.3bn in wagers, which represents almost 46% of the $9.4bn wagered in the state since sports betting opened in November 2018.
Operators generated $340.4m in gross sports betting revenue this year, or 47% of the $724.5m in revenue produced since sports betting began.
Online sportsbooks accepted $527.4m in wagers for September, representing 91% of the state’s total handle. FanDuel led the online market with $183.7m in bets, DraftKings followed with $164.7m in wagers and Barstool was third with a $52.8m handle.
Online casinos and poker rooms produced $111.8m in gross gaming revenue. September’s revenue was up 61% from the $69.4m for the same month in 2020 and up 8% from $103.2m for August.
Kohler added: “Online casinos have a symbiotic relationship with online sportsbooks. When sportsbooks do well it tends to lift the fortunes of online casinos and vice versa. We saw that in action in September.”
