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Massachusetts sets betting handle and revenue records in September

| By Robert Fletcher
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) reported record sports betting handle and revenue during September, with the Bay State posting year-on-year growth across both its online and retail segments.
Massachusetts sports betting September

During September, handle in Massachusetts hit $678.7m (£519.1m/€623.1m). This is a new monthly high for the state, surpassing the existing record of $658.7m set in December last year.

The September number is up from $512.2m in September last year, according to the MGC, and ahead of the August handle of $447.3m. Online spend amounted to $667.7m, with retail sportsbooks processing $11.1m.

As for revenue, this amounted to $73.5m, surpassing January’s previous $71.1m record. It also beat last September by 47.6% and August by 120.7%.

Online betting contributed $72.2m to the revenue total, while $1.3m came from the retail sector.

In terms of hold, the state-wide figure for Massachusetts during September was 10.83%, based off taxable revenue. The state collected $14.6m in tax, with almost all of this ($14.4m) coming from online operators.

DraftKings still the one to beat in Massachusetts

On the subject of operators, DraftKings continues to lead the state’s online market. During the month, it posted $38.8m in taxable revenue off a $355.2m handle for a 10.92% hold on taxable revenue.

Long-time rival FanDuel was second with revenue of $22.5m from $182.4m, leaving a hold of 12.34% on taxable revenue. Some way behind in third was BetMGM on $5.6m off $45.6m, resulting in a 12.28% hold on taxable revenue.

ESPN Bet was the best of the rest on $2.2m in revenue off a $22.4 handle, meaning a 9.82% hold on taxable revenue.

As for the retail market, Encore Boston Harbor led the way with $743,326 in revenue off of a $5.4m handle. This resulted in a 13.66% hold on taxable revenue.

Mixed news for casino gaming

The MGC also released data for the state’s land-based casino gaming market. For September, total revenue in Massachusetts hit $92.1m, which is 1.9% higher than last year but 10.8% less than August.

This total combines gross gaming revenue from land-based slots and table games. Slots drew $62.8m in revenue, with table games generating $29.2m.

Encore Boston Harbor collected the most revenue of the three casinos in Massachusetts, posting $57.7m for the month. Casino gaming tax for the month topped $26.2m.

Combined revenue from sports betting and casino gaming in September was $165.6m.

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