Sports betting: Here’s how much Pennsylvania made in taxes in the two weeks after legalizing

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Tuesday reported that bettors wagered $1.4 million at the state’s first legal sports-betting operation during its initial two weeks of operation last month, generating adjusted gross revenue after payouts of $508,996.60 for Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course near Hershey.

The Pennsylvania treasury appears to be the big winner, taking in $183,239 in taxes from sports wagering during the initial run.

The revenue numbers are a small sample compared to New Jersey, where sports bettors have wagered $928 million online or at casinos since betting was legalized in June. Pennsylvania’s numbers for the current month will increase after SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh began taking sports bets on Dec. 12. Three other Pennsylvania casinos also intend to open sportsbooks.

The gaming board’s numbers are of limited utility to bettors and industry analysts, since the regulator board does not break down sports-betting data beyond aggregated revenue figures for an individual facility. It is unknown what sports are attracting the most bets, and what types of wagers are generating the greatest wins for casinos.

Pennsylvania’s reported gross revenue reflects the total amount bet minus the payouts on winning wagers made during the reporting month. This means gross revenue includes wagers received for future events, such as the Super Bowl, in which the payout would be made in another month. It is not possible to calculate a casino’s win percentage from a single month’s data.