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Pennsylvania sports betting up 28% in July, lifted by online boom

Nearly $60 million was wagered on sporting events in July. Two-thirds of the bets were placed online, not at a casino.

Rendering of the new sportsbook at the SugarHouse Casino on Delaware Avenue. It's slated to open in the fall of 2019.
Rendering of the new sportsbook at the SugarHouse Casino on Delaware Avenue. It's slated to open in the fall of 2019.Read moreVia SugarHouse (custom credit)

Pennsylvania sports betting grew by 28% in July, from $46.3 million to $59.3 million in bets placed, and for the first time online sports wagering accounted for a majority of the gambling activity, according to data released Friday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

The state’s sports-betting market, which became legal after a 2018 Supreme Court decision, is still in its early growth phase. Bets placed at brick-and-mortar casinos actually declined $6.7 million in July — not unexpected, because it is the low season for betting. But the volume of online betting doubled from $19.3 million in June to $39 million in July, more than making up for a decline in activity in the physical sports-betting parlors.

Online and retail bets generated $5.1 million in revenue for casinos, up from $3.1 million in June. State and local governments collected $1 million in taxes, which is assessed against revenue, not total bets.

The numbers are expected to increase significantly in August with the start of football season.

SugarHouse Casino in Fishtown — soon to be renamed Rivers Casino Philadelphia — took in $26.5 million in bets, including $22.2 million online, which was more than half of the entire state’s online betting handle of $39 million.

SugarHouse was followed by its affiliate Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, $14.3 million; Parx Casino in Bensalem, $7.2 million; FanDuel at Valley Forge Casino Resort, $5 million; South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook, $1.9 million; Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, $1.8 million; Harrah’s Philadelphia, $1.7 million; Oaks Race & Sportsbook, $789,502; and Presque Isle Downs & Casino (which opened July 24), $162,781.