Pennsylvania set a host of new records across a number of areas in its regulated gambling market in 2021, with total revenue in the state reaching $4.73bn.
The overall total was 78.5% higher than the $2.65bn generated in 2020 and up 38.7% from the previous year-high of $3.41bn in 2019, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
Breaking down the figures by market segment, sports betting revenue hiked 79.3% year-on-year to $340.1m, while the state’s handle reached $6.55bn, up 83.0% on 2020 and the highest annual total since legal betting launch in Pennsylvania in 2018.
Valley Forge Casino Resort and FanDuel led the way with $150.9m in sports betting revenue, up 118.4% on the previous year. Penn National Gaming’s Barstool Sportsbook at Penn’s Hollywood Casino at the Meadows ranked second with $68.3m in revenue, then DraftKings and the Hollywood Casino at Penn National with $22.0m.
Fantasy sports revenue also climbed 38.5% to $29.3m, with DraftKings leading the way on $16.5m in revenue, ahead of rival FanDuel with $12.4m.
Elsewhere, igaming revenue almost doubled year-on-year to reach a record $1.11bn, up 96.7% from $565.8m in 2020.
The Hollywood Casino at Penn National claimed top spot in the igaming area with $418.9m in revenue, ahead of Rivers Casino Philadelphia on $299.3m, then the Valley Forge Casino Resort with $190.5m.
Retail slots remained the primary source of revenue in Pennsylvania with revenue up 83.4% year-on-year to $2.29bn. This increase was partly due to the 2020 performance being impacted by enforced venue closures due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, as revenue was still lower than in pre-pandemic years.
Retail table games also hiked 83.4% to $924.9m for the same reason, while video gaming terminal revenue rocketed 139.4% year-on-year to $39.9m.
The PGCB also published figures for the final month of 2021, with total market revenue in December amounting to $406.3m, up 140.8% year-on-year.
Sports betting revenue was 81.4% higher at $34.1m while the state’s handle for the month increased 36.8% to $750.4m. Valley Forge Casino Resort and FanDuel were top in December with $7.9m in revenue, ahead of Hollywood Casino Meadows and Penn National Gaming’s Barstool on $4.6m and DraftKings and the Hollywood Casino at Penn National with $2.7m.
Fantasy sports revenue was 5.9% higher at $3.2m, with DraftKings leading this area of the market on $1.7m in revenue, ahead of FanDuel with $1.4m.
Online gambling revenue also jumped 42.6% year-on-year to $102.1m in December. Here, the Hollywood Casino at Penn National led the way with $40.5m in revenue, followed by Rivers Casino Philadelphia on $26.1m and Valley Forge Casino Resort with $18.5m.
Looking at land-based activity, retail slots revenue rocketed 363.3% to $195.5m, while retail table games revenue jumped 388.7% to $83.4m. Video gaming terminal also hiked 317.9% to $3.4m for the month.
