Sports betting hits record high in September

SEPTEMBER WAS THE BEST month yet for legal sports wagering operators since Massachusetts legalized betting in early 2023, with about $73.5 million in taxable revenue collected by sportsbooks and mobile betting apps last month, the Gaming Commission said Tuesday.

The $73.49 million haul for operators topped the $71.13 million in revenue generated in January 2024, according to data from the Gaming Commission. Bettors set their own record last month by putting about $678.75 million on the line as wagers on September sporting events. That unseats the previous record monthly handle of $658.7 million wagered on events in December 2023.

About 97 percent of the money wagered last month was bet via one of the seven mobile or online betting platforms operating here, with DraftKings taking more than half the bets. And more than 98 percent of the sports wagering revenue generated last month was produced by online operators.

The commission said sports wagering activity generated about $14.63 million for the state last month. Revenue from online wagers is taxed at a rate of 20 percent while revenue generated from wagers places at the physical sportsbooks at Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston Harbor in Everett is taxed at 15 percent.

On the casino side, the state’s three traditional gambling centers generated a touch more than $92 million in gross gaming revenue last month, which works out to about $26.24 million in taxes for the state. Combined, commission licensees generated more than $165.55 million in revenue for themselves in September, with a bit more than $40.87 million due to the state.

Since legal gambling began here in 2015, the state has collected $1.878 billion in taxes and fees from casino-style gaming. It has also taken in $187.88 million in taxes and assessments from sports wagering operations that became legal in 2023, the commission said.

Starting next month, the Gaming Commission will report monthly casino and sports betting revenues on the 20th of each month (or the next business day) rather than the 15th of each month. Officials said the change is to give the commission’s finance department more time to turn around the reports that operators must file with the commission by the 15th of every month.

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