Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania increased 10.9% year-on-year during January despite the state’s sports betting market reporting further declines.
Total market revenue in January amounted to $529.1 million (£417.8 million/€504.7 million). This, according to figures published yesterday (20 February) by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, surpasses $477.2 million in January 2024.
This total does, however, fall 0.8% short of the $533.1 million generated in December.
Online gambling the star of the show in Pennsylvania
Starting with online gambling, revenue here climbed 40.5% year-on-year to $210.2 million. This, however, falls short of the record $223.6 million reported in December last year.
Online slots drew the most revenue in this sector, with the $158.6 million being 44.2% ahead of last year. Internet table games revenue also climbed 32.7% to $48.9million, although online poker revenue dipped 2.3% to $2.6 million.
Spending-wise, consumers wagered some $4.23 billion on online slots during the month. A further $2.92 billion was bet on table games, while online poker spend was not revealed.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National remains the igaming market leader by some distance. In January, revenue hit $79.7 million, up 57.9% from last year.
Valley Forge Casino again ranked second with $57.6 million, an increase of 38.5%. Rivers Casino Philadelphia took third with $35.4 million, a rise of 19.8%.
Sports betting revenue down again
Looking now to sports betting, the market saw revenue fall for a second consecutive month. Revenue here reached $51.5 million, down 26.4% year-on-year. This reflects a wider trend in the industry, with several states reporting similar declines in January due to customer-friendly sports results.
Online sports betting revenue topped $49.2 million during the month, with retail revenue at $2.3 million.
In terms of spending, total handle for January was $873.1 million, up 1.8% from last year. This includes $830.4 million in online spend and $42.8 million at retail sportsbooks.
This resulted in a state-wide hold of 5.90%.
As for operators, FanDuel and partner Valley Forge Casino Resort continue to lead the sector. Taxable revenue totalled $28.8 million and handle came to $342.3 million, leaving an 8.41% hold.
DraftKings and Hollywood Casino at the Meadows were again second, taking $15.0 million off $221.0 million. This resulted in a hold of 6.79%. BetMGM and partner Hollywood Casino Morgantown had a better month, moving up to third with $3.4 million off $68.7 million for a 4.95% hold.
Picking out some of the other operators in Pennsylvania, Parx Casino and Kambi posted $1.1 million in revenue off an $18.7 million handle for a 5.88% hold. ESPN Bet and Hollywood Casino York, which ranked third in December, posted a $1.8 million loss.
Land-based growth in Pennsylvania
Looking elsewhere in the state, all core land-based gambling sectors were up in January.
Slot machine revenue climbed 4.6% to €187.8 million, while table games revenue edged up 1.5% to $73.7 million. Video gaming terminals revenue also climbed 4.5% to $3.2 million.
Meanwhile, fantasy sports revenue was 8.9% higher year-on-year at $2.7 million.
As for tax, the monthly total for January was $221.6 million. Of this, $93.9 million came from igaming, $51.5 million sports betting, $94.8 million land-based slots and $12.3 million table games. The remaining tax was spread across video gaming terminals and fantasy sports.
Robert Fletcher
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