Pennsylvania Sportsbooks Resilient with $89 Million June While Online Casinos Flourish, According to PlayPennsylvania

LAS VEGAS, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania's gambling industry ended the fiscal year with an uplifting June that included $89 million in sports bets, $50.1 million in online gaming revenue, and casinos reopening across the state. According to PlayPennsylvania estimates, the sports betting handle was still $235 million shy of an ordinary June, but the signs of a turnaround are growing more distinct.

"The reopening of casinos in June is an important milestone that points toward brighter days, even if we're not there yet," said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. "Online gambling will continue to be a force for the foreseeable future. Online and retail sportsbooks, like brick-and-mortar casinos, will navigate an uncertain landscape as long as the pandemic is ongoing. If a setback can be avoided, though, the return of major sports later this month will be huge for the industry."

Sportsbooks generated $89 million in wagers in June, up 14.8% from $77.5 million in May, according to official data released Thursday. June's gross revenue rose 37.9% to $6.7 million, up from $4.8 million in May, producing $1.6 million in state taxes.

Sportsbook ended their first full fiscal year with $113.7 million in gross operator revenue on $2.3 billion in bets. That produced $38.7 million in state taxes.

"The disruption in sports betting is something no one could have seen coming, but even with it, the industry is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was last year," said Valerie Cross, analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. "If major sports resume as planned, sportsbooks will almost instantly return to generating hundreds of millions of dollars in bets each month."

Online betting generated $88.3 million in June. FanDuel/Valley Forge led the way with $32.9 million in bets, up from $29.6 million in May, generating $2.9 million in taxable revenue.

In-person sports betting reopened slowly, producing the first $689,534 in retail bets since March.

"With pent-up demand and local interest in all three sports, the return of baseball, basketball, and hockey should bring heavy betting," Cross said. "That interest has already been seen with a rise in futures betting. July could ultimately be a dynamic-changing month."

Online casinos and poker

Online casinos games and poker slowed, but still generated $50.1 million in gross operator revenue, or $1.7 million per day. That was down from $55.9 million, or $1.8 million per day, in May. June's revenue generated $14.4 million in state taxes.

Online table games and slots produced $46.8 million in revenue on $1.7 billion wagered, down from $1.8 billion in May.

In Pennsylvania, FanDuel and DraftKings have recently launched standalone casino apps, and PartyPoker is seeking state regulatory approval, which could come as soon as Aug. 5. And last week, MGM Resorts/GVC Holdings, which plans to launch in Pennsylvania soon, announced its plan to invest $250 million more in its online platform.

"Online gambling is growing more important to the gaming industry with each month that passes, even as casinos reopen with diminished capacity," Gouker said. "The pandemic is changing behaviors of most everyone, and that certainly includes gamblers. The relative safety of gambling at home will remain appealing to many for the foreseeable future."

Rivers-Philadelphia led the online casino market with $15 million in revenue on $567.3 million in wagers. Mount Airy/PokerStars, the lone poker operator in Pennsylvania, generated $3.2 million in poker revenue, down from $4.6 million in May.

For more, www.playpennsylvania.com/news.

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SOURCE PlayPennsylvania.com