Pennsylvania Sports Betting Revenue Ready to App Up to Catch up
Pennsylvania total handle from sports betting operations in April was just over $36 million. One might assume that’s a nice month at the ticket window. However, total revenue was a paltry $4.2 million, down over a full million dollars from March numbers.
Every physical sportsbook in Pennsylvania saw a drop in revenue, a full quarter-percentage across the state. Anyone and everyone in the sports betting industry is pointing to one glaring problem.
Pennsylvania’s $4 million revenue in April received no boost from online sports betting. Across the Delaware River in New Jersey, Garden State bettors posted over $200 million in online betting activity. So, where are the sportsbook apps in PA?
Pulling Back on the Reigns
Just about everyone associated with sports betting appreciates how a couple issues in Pennsylvania are responsible for lackluster revenue numbers. One is the requirement to be physically at a licensed sportsbook to officially register to vote using an app.
The second stems from lawmakers pulling back on the reigns of online sports betting after the US Department of Justice’s odd announcement last November.
Seems the legal minds in Pennsylvania did not want to get caught up in a battle over interpreting the DOJ’s odd opinion about how the 50-year old Wire Act applies to online sports betting, and any online game of chance for that matter.
During the 16-months, the time in which eight brick and mortar sportsbooks were in operation, Pennsylvania’s sports betting revenue was woeful in comparison. The projected sports’ betting estimates were low, but most disappointing was the comparative figures against neighboring New Jersey.
This delay in allowing for online apps to operate in the state is being blamed as the reason. New Jersey, which incidentally allows online wagering, doubled PA’s retail sports betting revenues in February alone.
Most of the physical sportsbooks are within the greater Philadelphia area. Revenue from these primary spots tallied up about one-tenth of the total intake from sportsbook operations across the state line in the Garden State.
February’s spreadsheets pinpoint the problem. Pennsylvania bean counters entered a big zero for online sports betting revenue during the first year and four months of legal sports betting.
App it to Amp it
There is little doubt in anyone’s mind that May 31 is a day when things should certainly amp up aspirations for Pennsylvania’s sports betting revenue. Sugarhouse was the first to launch an online app. Since Rivers Sportsbook owns Sugarhouse, they should potentially be the next in line to open up to online sports bettors.
Three other are apps should follow the Sugarhouse lead. FanDuel, Parx, FOX Bet and Unibet are expected to begin online betting over the course of the summer. Since DraftKings and PointsBet are still unwed to any physical sportsbook in the state, they’ll need to form a union with a brick and mortar facility before either can launch.
Since Pennsylvania keeps tallying up goose eggs in the online sports betting revenue column, these recent developments will undoubtedly change the scoreboard. If other states with online wagering capabilities are any indication, look for the Quaker State to catch up fast.
Tyler currently runs the lineups.com twitter handle, posting various content including betting trends, player trends, and game previews. Tyler is the Lineups.com Swiss army knife, managing our social media as well as research and writing.
