Sports Betting Round-Up: Indiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode island
Published October 31, 2019 by Elana K
Indiana and Pennsylvania sports betting posted great numbers in September, while the smaller industry in Rhode Island is struggling to meet expectations.
Since the Supreme Court repealed PASPA in May 2018, states have been allowed to legalize sports betting within their own borders. While most states are seeing good returns (especially due to football season), some are still struggling.
Here’s a round-up of how three states fared in the month of September.
Indiana
The first month of sports betting in Indiana garnered $34.5 million in wagers, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission. Unsurprisingly, the most popular sport betted upon was football, with $27.7 million — 60% — placed in bets. Parlay wagers followed with 28% of the bets, then baseball with 10%, and other sports accounted for 2% of the total bets placed in September.
Since not all casinos started taking sports bets on the first day of the month, next month’s numbers are expected to increase. Plus, October also saw the start of mobile betting, which wasn’t allowed in September. This means that if October’s numbers aren't significantly higher than September’s, it will be a disappointment.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania also had a good showing in September. The PA Gaming Control Board announced that the sports betting industry generated $195 million in bets.
In terms of revenue, the sports betting operators earned $15 million, $9.2 million of which came from mobile betting. FanDuel has come out as a leader in the industry with more than $89 million of the handle. Rush Street Gaming, which operates SugarHouse Sportsbook and Rivers Casino, took in nearly $70 million in sports bets, while Parx Casino took in $21 million.
Rhode Island
Whereas most states cleaned up in the month of September, Rhode Island disappointed. Despite sports gaming going mobile in September, the state only made $3.1 million through October 19, less than half of what was projected for the first quarter of the fiscal year. The only good news is that revenue has increased by 75% since December 2018, which is a good sign for the future.
