The Arizona Gaming Commission disclosed the sports betting handle for September, revealing substantial growth. With a staggering $610.7 million spent by state bettors, this marks the highest monthly total in the last six months.
In September, the total sports betting handle in the Grand Canyon State surged by 13.3% when compared to $358.9 million garnered in August. Additionally, it marked a 13.5% increase from the $538 million collected during the corresponding month last year.
The Arizona Gaming Commission has seen its sports betting handle soar above $600 million for the sixth time. The trend began with a landmark achievement of $691 million in March 2022, followed by $618.6 million in October and $616.9 million in November of the same year.
In Feb. 2023, the state again surpassed the $600 million mark, recording $609.3 million. March 2023 became the peak of the year with a staggering $644.8 million in total bets. However, the pinnacle remains March 2022, which holds the record as the highest monthly figure for the state.
Out of the overall sports betting handle in Sept. 2023, online sportsbooks contributed the bulk of it, accounting for $605.2 million in wagers. Retail sportsbooks made up $4 million of this total, with limited events wagering operators adding the remaining $1.45 million.
Bettors in Arizona raked in a collective total of $550.6 million in winnings. Among them, online bettors received the most payouts with a staggering $545.7 million paid, while retail bettors secured a total of $3.6 million.
Sportsbooks in the state reported adjusted gross event wagering receipts of $59.7 million (before accounting for bonus bets), marking a substantial increase from August’s $30.9 million, amounting to a 93.2% jump in revenue. Compared to Sept. 2022, this reflected an 8.2% increase. Online gross receipts stood at $59 million, with $473,199 attributed to retail sportsbooks.
DraftKings Sportsbook Contributes Two-Thirds of Total Handle
Of September’s total handle of $610.7 million, DraftKings took the lead, capturing around two-thirds of the total at $218 million. This represented an 88.6% growth rate compared to the $115.6 million they accumulated in the prior month.
FanDuel followed with a total of $179.2 million in bets, attaining a 55.7% increase from its August figures of $115 million. Meanwhile, BetMGM experienced a substantial rise as well, with Arizona bettors placing $89.9 million in bets, showing a remarkable 78% increase from the $50.5 million reported in the prior month.
Caesars, on the other hand, experienced a 67.3% leap from $33.6 million in August to $56.2 million in September. Desert Diamond Mobile recorded $25.1 million, while Barstool reported $13.3 million during the same period.
Arizona Adjusted Gross Wagering Receipts Hit $32.6 million
In September, the adjusted gross wagering receipts amounted to $32.6 million after factoring in $27.1 million from bonus bets and promotional credits. Online operators primarily drove this figure, contributing $32.0 million, while retail establishments added $447,593.
This marked a 6.2% increase from the corresponding month of 2022 and a substantial 52.3% rise from the $21.4 million recorded in August.
The state of Arizona collected a total of $3.2 million in taxes, exclusively from mobile sports betting channels and retail sportsbooks, yielding $35,807 from the latter.
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