The New York State Gaming Commission reported mobile sports betting handle of $476.3 million for the week ending Sept. 8, a surge coinciding with the start of the NFL season.
That figure was 18.7% higher than the $401.4 million reported for the week ending Sept. 1 and the 13th-highest total in 140 weeks of mobile wagering in the Empire State. It also represented a 14.5% increase from the $416.1 million wagered during Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.
More importantly to bettors, they fared much better overall this year than last to ring in the start of pro football. The eight operators combined for $32.3 million in sports betting revenue, down 43% from the $56.6 million claimed in 2023. That figure still ranks seventh all-time in state history, while the 13.6% hold from that week in 2023 is eighth overall.
Seven of the eight operators finished the week with positive revenue, leading to an estimated $16.5 million in taxes based on the 51% rate levied on mobile operator winnings.
Another Milestone for FanDuel
FanDuel narrowly edged DraftKings for the top spot for handle as the eternal rivals were separated by $459,400. The $181.6 million in accepted wagers for the week pushed FanDuel over $20 billion overall, a figure only four states outside New York have exceeded in the post-PASPA era.
The mobile juggernaut was a more comfortable leader for revenue at close to $15 million, but the 8.2% win rate marked the first time it was held below 10% in back-to-back weeks since March 3-10. FanDuel also moved to the cusp of $2.1 billion in all-time revenue in the Empire State, having accrued $28.4 million in the first two reports for September.
DraftKings came within $24,600 of $10 million for the week as it finished with a 5.5% hold from $181.1 million handle. It has been held below the 7% industry standard win rate in four of the last six weeks, with last week's hold its lowest since a 3.2% win rate May 5.
BetMGM was the only mobile sportsbook besides FanDuel to have a hold above 8%, landing at 8.2% in amassing $2.8 million in revenue from $34 million handle. Caesars pipped BetMGM for the No. 3 spot for handle with $35 million, but a 5.7% win rate left it $11,200 shy of $2 million in revenue.
Fanatics Sportsbook had the third-highest hold of the group at 6.2%, but it only resulted in $1.7 million in revenue despite its fourth-highest handle all-time at $28 million when including predecessor PointsBet. BetRivers posted a 5.5% win rate in claiming $669,500 in revenue from $12.2 million worth of bets.
Bally Bet had its third-best week for handle at more than $2.8 million, but a 5.2% hold meant it kept only $146,200. Bettors pocketed $11,700 on top of their $1.5 million wagered with Resorts World as it reported its first weekly loss since Dec. 31. It was the 14th time Resorts posted a loss, but this was its third-smallest.
