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PlayPennsylvania.com: Sports betting slows again, but still hits $5 billion for fiscal year
Wagering at Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks fell modestly in May, but still pushed the state past $5 billion in wagering through fiscal year 2020-21. But as sports betting continues its summer slowdown, Pennsylvania’s online casinos and poker rooms racked up more than $110 million in gross revenue to solidify their position as the state’s most dependable gaming revenue generator, according to PlayPennsylvania, which tracks the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market.
“The seasonal slowdown will continue to be a factor until bettors can place bets on Eagles, Steelers, and Penn State football games,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayPennsylania.com. “And with the popularity of online casinos holding even as retail casino customers return, the state’s gaming industry is in relatively good shape.”
Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks accepted $447.5 million in wagers in May, down 6.7% from $479.4 million in April, according to official data released Thursday. Through 11 months of the fiscal year, sportsbooks have accepted $5.2 billion in bets.
Sportsbooks won $37.4 million off May’s wagers, up 3.8% from $36 million in April, which produced $27.7 million in taxable revenue. The month yielded $9.4 million in state taxes and $554,930 in local share assessments. Betting volume was up 477.3% in May from $77.5 million in May 2020, a month still marred by the pandemic-related shutdowns of major U.S. sports. The win jumped 532.2% from $5.9 million.
Sports betting tends to tail off from April through August, and Pennsylvania is not immune. The Keystone State’s month-over-month decline from April is steeper than the comparable states that have already reported May data, including New Jersey (up 8.9%), Indiana (up 7.6%), Iowa (down 2.9%), and Michigan (down 4.9%). But in April, betting volume in Pennsylvania was down 14.4% from March, one of the mildest month-over-month declines in the U.S.
The states that have fared the best this spring tend to be the beneficiaries of surging interest in local professional teams. A contending 76ers team, and to a lesser extent the one-series playoff appearance of the Penguins, helped the cause of Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks. But not enough to outperform other states.
“Without a national betting holiday like the Super Bowl or the NCAA Tournament, the summer months are dictated more by local interests,” said Valerie Cross, analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks are still well-positioned this summer, especially if the Sixers can figure a way past Atlanta, because they are less reliant on college sports than some other major markets.”
Online betting accounted for 91%, or $407.4 million, of May’s handle. FanDuel/Valley Forge was the online market leader again with $160.9 million in online wagering, down from $167.6 million in April. Gross revenue rose to $17.6 million from $13.8 million in April, producing $14.2 million in taxable revenue. DraftKings/The Meadows tallied $100.0 million in bets, down from $105.7 million in April. DraftKings won $5.0 million on those bets, down from $6.4 million in April.
Penn National’s Barstool-branded app attracted $43.6 million in May, down from $57.2 million in April. Those bets yielded $2.8 million in gross revenue, up from $2.6 million in April.
The online leaders were followed by:
BetMGM/Hollywood Morgantown ($32.4 million handle, down from $33 million; $2.2 million in gross revenue, down from $2.5 million)
BetRivers/Rivers-Pittsburgh ($19.1 million handle, up from $18.8 million; $1.2 million revenue, down from $1.8 million)
Fox Bet/Mount Airy ($14.2 million handle, down from $15.2 million; $964,405 revenue, down from $1.1 million)
PlaySugarHouse/Rivers-Philadelphia ($12.2 million handle, down from $13.4 million; $832,368 in revenue, down from $995,423)
Parx Casino ($11.1 million handle, down from $14.2 million; $1.1 million revenue, down from $1.7 million)
Unibet/Mohegan Sun Pocono ($5.5 million handle, down from $7.2 million; $390,170 revenue, down from $436,595)
TwinSpires/Presque Isle ($3.2 million handle, up from $2.1 million; $120,582 revenue, up from $33,622)
Caesars/Harrah’s ($2.7 million handle, up from $2.1 million; -$65,823 revenue, up from -$75,375)
Betfred/Wind Creek ($2.5 million handle, down from $2.7 million; $101,781 revenue, up from $49,074)
With capacity limits at Pennsylvania casinos now lifted, retail sportsbooks took in $40.1 million in handle in May, down slightly from $40.3 million in April. Those bets yielded $5.2 million in gross revenue, up from $4.8 million in April. Rivers-Philadelphia led the retail market with $6.7 million in bets, edging Parx Casino’s $6.4 million handle.
“The retail market is returning to relative health,” Gouker said. “What we’re really seeing in Pennsylvania, as well as other markets, is normalization. Nothing could be more welcome after such a difficult year.”
Online casinos and poker
Online casinos and poker rooms surged to a near-record $110.8 million in gross gaming revenue in May. That was up 54.6% from $71.6 million in May 2020 but fell just short of the record $111.6 million set in March.
Wagering on online casino games reached $3.3 billion in May, up from $1.8 billion in May 2020 and up from $3.2 billion in April. May’s revenue produced $41.7 million in state and local taxes.
Since online casinos launched in 2019, they have generated a whopping $1.3 billion in revenue from slots, table games, and poker, yielding $432.7 million in taxes. By contrast, online and retail sports betting has produced $581.1 million in revenue and $147.6 million in taxes even though it launched in 2018.
“Online casino revenue continues to dwarf revenue from sports betting, and that gap should only grow over the summer months,” Cross said. “Even as customers return to brick-and-mortar casinos, the gains in revenue at online casinos and poker rooms made over the last year should hold. It has become a revenue-generating powerhouse for the gaming industry and for the state.”
Other highlights from May:
Online casino and poker rooms generated $3.6 million per day in gross gaming revenue over the 31 days in May, up from $3.5 million per day in April.
Penn National, which includes the DraftKings, BetMGM, and Hollywood casinos, topped the market with $43.5 million in revenue. Rivers-Philadelphia, which includes PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers casinos, was second with $30.7 million in revenue.
Poker revenue rose to $2.6 million from $2.3 million. Mount Airy/PokerStars accounted for $2.3 million of May’s revenue.
For more information on the revenue generated by Pennsylvania, visit www.playpennsylvania.com/revenue.
About the PlayUSA.com Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states, PlayUSA.com and its state-focused branches produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online gaming options for consumers. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliations to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.
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BetVictor Canada has launched its new out-of-home advertising campaign across the streets of Toronto to promote NBA legend Tracy McGrady as its Safer Gambling Ambassador.
Two mobile digital trucks strategically targeting high-traffic areas near Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, and major sporting events will provide prime audience exposure for the campaign, scheduled around Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto Blue Jays home games.
To further enhance the campaign’s reach, BetVictor Canada has partnered with Clear Media Group to leverage digital taxi tops across Toronto, providing city-wide exposure with 100 taxis displaying key brand messaging. These digital taxi tops will run during peak evening hours (5:00pm – 9:00pm) on select dates until April 5th, 2025.
The campaign coincides with Problem Gambling Awareness Month, a nationwide grassroots campaign held each March that seeks to increase public awareness of problem gambling and promote prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
BetVictor Canada offers an array of tools and services to help its Canadian customers bet and play safely and responsibly, across a host of sports betting markets and online casino games.
Mark Harper, Head of Emerging Markets at BV Group, said: “BetVictor is delighted to be participating in the National Council of Problem Gambling campaign in March, to help increase public awareness of problem gambling and the need to promote prevention, treatment and recovery services.
“In using our Safer Gambling Ambassador, Tracy McGrady, to raise awareness about BetVictor’s safer gambling tools such as loss limits, time alerts and product restrictions we are dedicated to ensuring all players have a safe gambling experience. #PGAM2025.”
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AGCO
AGCO issues $110,000 in penalties to BetMGM Canada for offering cash to induce new gambling customers
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has served BetMGM Canada Inc. with an Order of Monetary Penalty (OMP) of $110,000 for violations of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.
In two separate incidents in 2024, BetMGM engaged marketing companies who offered cash to members of the public in return for opening new BetMGM accounts. The marketing activities occurred in public forums, such as a major national trade conference. Under AGCO’s Standards, operators are responsible for the conduct of their third-party suppliers who are contracted to support the operator’s Ontario gaming business, and must require their third-parties to meet Ontario laws, regulations and standards (Standard 1.19).
Ontario is one of the first jurisdictions in the world to establish and enforce rules that strictly limit high-risk inducement advertising and marketing in the online gambling industry. Registered iGaming operators are prohibited from offering gambling inducements, bonuses and credits as part of their broad public advertising and marketing activities (Standard 2.05). These Standards exist to protect Ontarians from predatory advertising and promotional marketing practices in order to limit the risk of gambling-related harm.
A registered operator served with an OMP by the AGCO has the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.
QUOTE
“Responsible gambling safeguards and the protection of Ontarians on registered gaming sites is among our key priorities. The AGCO monitors the activities of all registered operators and their third-party suppliers to ensure they are meeting our high standards and we continue to take strong action to ensure they operate within the public interest.”
Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar – AGCO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BetMGM Canada Inc. failed to comply with the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. Specifically, the licensee failed to comply with the following provisions of the Standards:
- 1.19 Operators are responsible for the actions of third parties with whom they contract for the provision of any aspect of the Operator’s business related to gaming in Ontario and must require the third party to conduct themselves in so far as they carry out activities on behalf of the operator as if they were bound by the same laws, regulations, and standards.
- 2.05 Advertising and marketing materials that communicate gambling inducements, bonuses and credits are prohibited, except on an operator’s gaming site and through direct advertising and marketing, after receiving active player consent.
Contrary to the Standards, BetMGM Canada Inc. and/or their affiliates allegedly engaged in the following activities:
| a) | On or about January 13 and 14, 2024, BetMGM representatives were alleged to have attended the National Franchise Show and were offering $100 in cash to new players for opening a new account and depositing $15. |
| b) | On or about March 11, 2024, BetMGM acknowledged that its marketing affiliate “Above the Street” had engaged in prohibited inducement marketing. The conduct resulted in 377 player sign-ups and $127,180.00 in commissions to “Above the Street”. |
| c) | On or about April 13, 2024, another BetMGM marketing affiliate “Maple Leaf Marketing” engaged in prohibited inducements and marketing to induce on-site activations and acquire new players. The conduct resulted in 94 player sign-ups and about $34,000.00 in commissions paid to “Maple Leaf Marketing”. |
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BCLC’s new “What’s played here stays here” campaign is issuing an important reminder to British Columbians who choose to gamble – specifically that all net profit its operations generate stays in B.C. to help fund critical services like education, health care and community programs.
The campaign also reinforces that all other gambling websites operating in B.C. are illegal and take away funds from critical community programs and services.
“Across B.C. and Canada, we’ve seen incredible groundswell around the importance of buying and supporting local, and that’s no different for British Columbians who choose gambling for their entertainment. We want our B.C. players to know they can find a world-class gambling experience in their own backyard, whether it’s at one of our 33 casinos, 3,400 lottery retailers, or online at PlayNow.com, and that the proceeds from their play with BCLC make a positive impact at home in their community,” Pat Davis, President and CEO of BCLC, said.
Along with illegal online gambling websites, BCLC also competes with Washington State and Las Vegas casinos, all of which aggressively market to B.C. residents.
“BCLC continues to raise awareness that these gambling options do not support B.C.’s economy and take away funds from vital provincial and community-based programs and services. In a time when British Columbians are standing united, we want to reinforce that playing together with BCLC helps make B.C. even better,” Pat Davis added.
The post BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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