February 19, 2019
Already in Pennsylvania's second full month into legalized sports betting, casinos are reporting $32 million in bets were placed.
Pennsylvania's Gaming Control Board released a report on Friday that found casinos made more than $2.6 million in revenue in January and the state made $940,000 in taxes from six brick-and-mortar casinos with sportsbooks.
Of all six casinos that have launched betting operations, SugarHouse in Philadelphia led the charge with more than $10 million wagered. In December, the first three players to move — Hollywood, SugarHouse and Rivers — combined to generate $16 million in handle.
Presque Isle Downs in Erie and Valley Forge Casino near Philadelphia have both been approved for sports betting certificates in Pennsylvania but officially opening dates have not been released.
Meanwhile in New Jersey, the state took in $385 million in bets during the same month. That's up $66 million from the state's December's numbers.
Officials have chalked this up to the state's mobile betting industry, which began operation in August. Legal Sports Report reported in January that online wagering accounted for almost 80 percent of total activity.
Plans for mobile betting in Pennsylvania are still in the works. Projections for the green light varies; some anticipate a February launch while others target sometime in April. It's still unclear if the Pennsylvania will adopt a rolling start, like in New Jersey, or a shotgun starting-gate approach that would hold apps back until several are ready to go.
SugarHouse Sportsbook will likely be first out of the gate with its PlaySugarHouse app. Parx also has experimented with an app interface.
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