HARRISBURG – Fueled by March Madness betting, Pennsylvania’s sports wagering revenue jumped more than 40 percent in March.
There were $41.5 million in sports wagers in Pennsylvania in March, up from $31.5 million in February, according to figures released Tuesday by the state Gaming Control Board.
That made Pennsylvania’s March sports betting revenue the best month ever in any state other than Nevada or New Jersey, a sign that Pennsylvania is emerging as the U.S.’s third-largest market, according to analysts for PlayPennyslvania.com, a website tracking the gambling industry in the state.
The state still lags far behind New Jersey, which already has online sports betting in place.
“The legal sports betting market in Pennsylvania has seemingly limitless potential, and March was a significant step forward,” said Jessica Welman, sports betting analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com.
The gaming control board is slated to vote Wednesday on whether to approve the application for a company to work with Presque Isle Downs near Erie to become the ninth location in Pennsylvania that offers sports betting, board spokesman Doug Harbach said.
There are already six casinos and two off-track betting parlors that offer sports betting.
But the state has yet to allow any casinos to offer sports wagering online.
Harbach said that the casinos and state regulators in Pennsylvania have been focusing on getting the bricks-and-mortar sports betting parlors in place before expanding online. Harbach said last month that Pennsylvania could see its first online sports betting this summer.
In March, New Jersey’s legal online and retail sportsbooks accepted $372.5 million in bets – including $74.2 million at retail sportsbooks – generating $31.7 million in revenue.
“The growth of Pennsylvania’s market is stunted without online sports betting,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Online bets account for about 80 percent of New Jersey’s handle.”
The Pennsylvania March revenue includes Valley Forge Casino, which began offering sports betting on March 13, and the off-track betting parlor Valley Forge Race and Sportsbook, which began offering sports betting the day after the nearby casino did, according to the gaming control board’s revenue report.
For the second consecutive month, The Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh was the state’s top spot for sports betting with just under $12 million in wagers in March.
Pennsylvania legalized sports betting as part of a broader gaming expansion law passed in 2017.
That legislation indicated that if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the long-standing federal ban on sports betting, the state could immediately move to allow sports betting.
The Supreme Court overturned the sports betting ban last May and Pennsylvania’s first casino began offering sports wagering in November.
https://www.tribdem.com/news/march-...cle_976452a2-60b4-11e9-910f-bbe6885ad6ee.html
There were $41.5 million in sports wagers in Pennsylvania in March, up from $31.5 million in February, according to figures released Tuesday by the state Gaming Control Board.
That made Pennsylvania’s March sports betting revenue the best month ever in any state other than Nevada or New Jersey, a sign that Pennsylvania is emerging as the U.S.’s third-largest market, according to analysts for PlayPennyslvania.com, a website tracking the gambling industry in the state.
The state still lags far behind New Jersey, which already has online sports betting in place.
“The legal sports betting market in Pennsylvania has seemingly limitless potential, and March was a significant step forward,” said Jessica Welman, sports betting analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com.
The gaming control board is slated to vote Wednesday on whether to approve the application for a company to work with Presque Isle Downs near Erie to become the ninth location in Pennsylvania that offers sports betting, board spokesman Doug Harbach said.
There are already six casinos and two off-track betting parlors that offer sports betting.
But the state has yet to allow any casinos to offer sports wagering online.
Harbach said that the casinos and state regulators in Pennsylvania have been focusing on getting the bricks-and-mortar sports betting parlors in place before expanding online. Harbach said last month that Pennsylvania could see its first online sports betting this summer.
In March, New Jersey’s legal online and retail sportsbooks accepted $372.5 million in bets – including $74.2 million at retail sportsbooks – generating $31.7 million in revenue.
“The growth of Pennsylvania’s market is stunted without online sports betting,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Online bets account for about 80 percent of New Jersey’s handle.”
The Pennsylvania March revenue includes Valley Forge Casino, which began offering sports betting on March 13, and the off-track betting parlor Valley Forge Race and Sportsbook, which began offering sports betting the day after the nearby casino did, according to the gaming control board’s revenue report.
For the second consecutive month, The Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh was the state’s top spot for sports betting with just under $12 million in wagers in March.
Pennsylvania legalized sports betting as part of a broader gaming expansion law passed in 2017.
That legislation indicated that if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the long-standing federal ban on sports betting, the state could immediately move to allow sports betting.
The Supreme Court overturned the sports betting ban last May and Pennsylvania’s first casino began offering sports wagering in November.
https://www.tribdem.com/news/march-...cle_976452a2-60b4-11e9-910f-bbe6885ad6ee.html
