Colorado Sportsbooks Set Fresh Handle, Revenue Records

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado fell just short of becoming the fifth U.S. state to generate $500 million in legal sports wagers in a single month in October with yet another surge in betting. The $491 million in wagers marked the second consecutive monthly handle record and produced a record high in revenue, giving Colorado its most lucrative month since launching in 2000, according to PlayColorado, which tracks the state's regulated sports betting market.

"Five full weekends of the NFL and college football will always be good for sportsbooks, but for that to coincide with baseball's postseason and the opening of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche seasons made October a sort of perfect storm," said Ian St. Clair, lead analyst for PlayColorado.com. "Importantly, the base of sports bettors in Colorado continues to expand, and those bettors are wagering more than this time last year as they become more comfortable with in-game betting at online sportsbooks. Altogether it points to a bright future for the industry."

Online and retail sportsbooks in Colorado accepted $491.5 million in wagers in October, up 20.4% from the record $408.3 million in September, according to data released Tuesday by the Colorado Division of Gaming. October's handle included $483.3 million in wagers through online operators, as overall volume jumped 133.2% from $210.7 million in October 2020.

Gross gaming revenue was up 11.6% to a record $28.6 million from $22.7 million in September and up 64.4% from $17.4 million in October 2020. The previous revenue record was $23.1 million, which was set in January. 

"With such a packed sports schedule, sportsbooks clearly saw an opportunity to reach new customers in October," said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayColorado.com. "Online operators have been aggressive in Colorado from the beginning, in part because the state has incentivized heavy promotional spending. That has limited tax revenue, but ideally more in tax receipts will come as the market grows."

With five full weekends of college football and the NFL, pro football was easily the biggest draw in October with $171.2 million in wagers. That topped the $125.8 million bet in September. Basketball drew significant action, too, with $63.3 million in wagers. College football attracted $51.2 million in bets, up from $46.9 million in October. The biggest draws were followed by baseball ($37.4 million), soccer ($15.9 million), tennis ($14.1 million), hockey ($13.2 million), and table tennis ($10.3 million).

The surge in betting came even as the Denver Broncos went 1-4 in their five October games and Colorado and Colorado State struggled. The Nuggets and, to a lesser extent the Avalanche, helped bridge the local enthusiasm gap, though.

"Five weeks of football are more than enough to overcome dampened enthusiasm from a disappointing Broncos stretch," said St. Clair. "With the Broncos bouncing back, and college basketball cranking up, wagering should remain high in the coming months, too."

For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Colorado, visit PlayColorado.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 (including PlayColorado.com, PlayIndiana.com, and PlayNJ.com) 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.

Contacts:
Zack Hall, Catena Media, 1-775-338-0745, [email protected]

SOURCE PlayColorado.com