Arizona narrowly misses sports betting handle record in March
Sports betting handle in Arizona reached $887.4 million during March, just 1.1% behind the Grand Canyon State’s all-time monthly record.
The current Arizona record of $897.6 million was set in November 2024, with March falling just shy. The month’s total is also 16.8% higher than the same month last year and 26.8% higher than February 2025.
Players spent $881.8 million betting online and a further $5.6 million at retail sportsbooks, the Arizona Department of Gaming reports.
However, revenue dipped, with adjusted gross event wagering receipts topped $48.3 million. This is 18.6% behind the previous year and 26.4% less than February. Online betting drew $47.7 million of this total, with retail’s share at $581,554.
Free bet deductions for March amounted to $23.2 million. As such, adjusted gross event wagering receipts after such deductions stood at $25 million, a year-on-year decline of 34.2% and also 37.2% less than February this year.
In terms of hold, based on adjusted gross event wagering receipts before deductions, this reached 5.38%. After reported deductions, the state’s hold was 2.62%.
FanDuel holds off DraftKings challenge in Arizona
Looking to operators, FanDuel again held top spot in Arizona sports betting ahead of DraftKings in March, reporting $18.3 million in receipts before deductions off a $254.2 million handle resulted in a hold of 7.20%.
DraftKings placed second with $15.3 million from $314.2 million for a 4.87% hold. BetMGM was a distant third on $4.8 million off a $109.9 million handle, meaning a hold of 4.37%.
Other operators of note include Caesars, which took $2.4 million from $49.2 million for a 4.88% hold. Fanatics rounded off the top five with $2.2 million off $59.3 million, leaving a 3.71% hold.
Bet365 followed with $2.1 million from $50.2 million and a 4.78% hold. ESPN Bet was the only other operator to see receipts exceed $1 million, posting $1.9 million off a $23 million handle resulting in a monthly hold of 8.26%.
As for tax, the total from sports betting in March was $2.5 million. This included $2.4 million from online wagering and $45,744 retail betting.