Pa. has record-breaking sportsbook wagers in August

August was Pennsylvania’s best month yet in sportsbook revenues, making the state a contender for the second largest legal sports betting market in the country.

The state generated almost $365 million in sports betting wagers, up from $109 million recorded during the same period last year, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported. Increased revenues follow the restart of sports, which stopped this spring as the country largely shut down to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Still, August saw a 121.5% increase since July, when almost $164.7 million was generated in sportsbook wagers, according to Play Pennsylvania, an independent website covering legal and regulated gambling in the state. That number fell just short of Nevada’s earnings, which hovered around $165.6 million, suggesting that Pennsylvania could lead Nevada once their August revenues are released.

“In what has been a difficult year, August’s packed schedule of major sports helped Pennsylvania sportsbooks make up some of what was lost from pandemic-related shutdowns,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for Play Pennsylvania. “It is remarkable to think that Pennsylvania could surpass Nevada, the nation’s most mature sports-betting market.”

Sports betting in Pennsylvania became legal in 2018. Since then, several local casinos began offering the service, including Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore and the Meadows Casino in Washington. An in-person and online sportsbook is slated for the mini casino under construction at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield.

In August, Rivers generated more than $25.3 million in sportsbook revenue, up from about $12 million in July, and Meadows generated more than $88.2 million in revenues, up from $39.5 million in July, the gaming control board reported. Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia near Philadelphia had the most wagers in August, ringing in at about $149 million.

Online wagering also was up last month, accounting for 88.1%, or $321.6 million, of all bets. Rivers ranked in the top 10 for revenues generated by online sports betting. The casino brought in more than $18.9 million in August, up from $10.3 million in July.

Those numbers could only increase as the NFL and college football pick back up.

“The continuing build-up of online and mobile sports betting, in addition to online casinos and poker rooms, is paying enormous dividends,” Gouker said. “Some gamblers appear to still be reluctant to visit casinos in-person, and technology is bridging that gap.”

Casinos across the country shuttered this spring as stay-at-home orders went into effect and nonessential businesses were required to close to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Those closures left a handful of Pennsylvania casinos reporting zeros for sports betting wagers in April through June.

State casinos also lost 18% of revenues by July, The Associated Press reported, with slot machine revenue down 31.6% at Meadows and 10.9% at Rivers.

By August, retail revenues picked back up with about $43.4 million of in-person bets recorded across the state, Play Pennsylvania reported, up from $9.4 million in July. Of that August number, about $2.8 million came from retail sportsbooks.