The state of Pennsylvania’s sports betting numbers for the month of February were released on Monday, with the total handle coming in at $31.5 million. This is down slightly from the month of January, when the statewide handle was $32 million – generating $2.6 million in revenue.
There are few things to consider here when it comes to the small drop-off. The first is that February is one of the deadest months on the sports calendar despite the Super Bowl to kickoff the month. In the previous month of January, the sportsbooks that were up-and-running in the state got a boost from the Eagles’ playoff run, and there were three rounds of NFL playoff games to bet on – not just one big game.
The second issue is that there is still no online presence in Pennsylvania. New Jersey saw its numbers blow up in the first few months of sports betting legalization, mostly due to the convenience of being to bet on sports from your couch.
Those are valid excuses for Pennsylvania.
That said, most industry experts expected the PA handle for the month of February to jump a tad because of the simple fact that new betting locations were introduced during the month.
Here is the breakdown by sportsbook in the state for February by handle (total amount of money wagered):
Rivers Sportsbook (Pittsburgh): $8.14 million
SugarHouse Sportsbook: $7.09 million
Parx Casino Sportsbook: $6.96 million
Hollywood Sportsbook (Grantville): $3.74 million
Harrah’s Sportsbook: $2.95 million
South Philadelphia Turf Club: $2.60 million
All told, these numbers are just slightly disappointing for Pennsylvania and far from alarming. New Jersey’s handle was also down in the month of February, dipping from a record $385.2 million in January to $320.3 million. Nearly $2 billion has been bet on sports in the state of New Jersey since it began legalized betting last summer.
