Pennsylvania sports betting and iGaming figures for December were released Thursday, with the state finishing 2021 on a slightly down note.
The numbers come from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
Here are three takeaways from December’s gambling in Pennsylvania report.
SPORTS BETTING HANDLE, REVENUE DOWN
Coming off a record in November, in which more than $63.66 million dollars in taxable revenue came into the Keystone State, shattering the old mark of $37.35 million, December brought some winter blues.
December’s gross sports betting taxable revenue came in at $18.8 million, down a significant 70.5% from November, and down 44.9% from December 2020 ($34.05 million).
Sports betting handle posted a solid $750.38 million, down just 1.47% from November’s $761.57 million, and up a nice 36.8% from a year ago ($548.59 million).
MOBILE BETTING HANGS TOUGH WITH STRONG SHOWING
December online sports betting handle had a solid showing yet again, coming in at $693.27 million. That is a slight decrease of 1.53% from November’s $704.07 million, but showed a 29.5% increase from Dec. 2020 ($535.2 million).
Mobile betting remained at 92.4% of the market for the second consecutive month.
NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW OPPORTUNITY, NEW PLAYERS
Although December revenue numbers were concerning, overall for the year Pennsylvania was solid.
Entering 2022, one new player - PointsBet - has been approved for live operation sometime in the first quarter, giving Pennsylvanians another betting option, its 13th sports betting choice overall when launched.
It also will be interesting to see how New York plays in all of this, when their first figures for the first month of live sports betting are released sometime in February. Early indications showed minimal harm being done in New Jersey.
We’ll see.
One thing is for certain: The border betting battle among Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey is officially on.
Pennsylvania Sports Betting, December vs. November
| Total Handle | Mobile Handle | Gross Revenue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | $750.4M | $693.3M | $18.8M |
| November | $761.575M | $704.075M | $63.669M |
| Change | Down 1.47% | Down 1.53% | Down 70.5% |
POINTSBET CLEARED IN STATE
PointsBet PA announced it has been awarded sports wagering and interactive gaming operator licenses to offer online sports betting and online casino products in Pennsylvania. The license to the Australia-based company was awarded by the PGCB.
With the PointsBet addition, there are 21 sites under 10 casinos available for online casino games and 14 sites for sports wagering in Pennsylvania.
Check out PennStakes.com, which can show you its picks for the best Pennsylvania online casinos.
NEW CASINO ON WAY
In other recent Pennsylvania gambling news, the PGCB awarded a license this week to GW Cumberland Op. Co. (Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, Inc., operator of Parx Casino) to construct a Category 4 casino in Shippensburg Township, Cumberland County, which is 43 miles from Harrisburg and 146 miles from Philadelphia.
It will be the state’s 17th casino.
There are four categories for casino licenses within Pennsylvania. They consist of the state’s thoroughbred/harness racetracks (Category 1), standalone casinos (2), resort casinos (3) and satellite/mini-casinos (4).
