Pennsylvania Sees Record Gambling Numbers in December

Pennsylvania’s online sports betting & iGaming set a new record in December.

After disappointing numbers posted in November, the PA sports betting handle bounced back in spectacular fashion in December. Additionally, iGaming numbers also set a new monthly record. Pennsylvania revealed a total handle earlier this week of $548.6 million, an increase of 11.5% from November’s total of $491.9 million. In terms of a year-on-year comparison, December’s 2020 numbers were up 60.1% from December 2019’s $342.6 million.

Although the PA sports betting numbers are a new record for the state, they are still some way short of the impressive numbers that New Jersey posted for December. The Garden State just missed out on a total of $1 billion in handle, setting another benchmark with a record of $996.3 million. However, both states are continuing to lead the way overall, combining for a total handle of $1.5 billion.

PA Online casino gaming in the Keystone State posted a record gross revenue of $71.6 million during December, sailing past the previous high revenue month for iGaming, which was in October 2020 of $59.8 million. The December 2020 figures were a significant increase over December 2019’s $10.6 million.

Mobile betting on Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks made up 97.6% of the market. Online sports betting handle for the final month of the year was $535.2 million, an increase of 19.6% from November’s $447.4 million. This is a year-on-year increase of 79.9% over December 2019’s $297.4 million.

BetMGM Now Live in Pennsylvania

The BetMGM sports betting app launched in Pennsylvania on December 18^th. In doing so, it became the 11th online sportsbook available in the state. The brand agreed to a partnership with Hollywood Casino Morgantown in Caernarvon Township to gain market access into Pennsylvania. Hollywood Casino is a “mini-casino” that is currently being constructed by Penn National Gaming. The BetMGM online casino also went live in December as has proven to be a hit with PA casino players.

Adam Greenblatt, BetMGM chief executive officer, described the response to the BetMGM app going live in Pennsylvania as “incredible.” He said the company is delighted to “bring our best-in-class sports betting offering to the Keystone State.”

BetMGM also announced a deal with one of the state’s most-popular professional teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to expand their presence in the state. The gaming brand is now an official sports betting operator of the Steelers, who were recently eliminated from the NFL playoffs by the Cleveland Browns.

Responsible Gaming at the forefront of PA Gambling

In December, the Pennsylvania Gaming Board announced that it had agreed to partner with Conscious Gaming to bring “PlayPause” to PA players. PlayPause is a self-exclusion tool for online gambling sites, limiting sessions and reducing the risk of addiction.

Pennsylvania is the first state to introduce PlayPause, which will be available at no cost to operators and regulators through Conscious Gaming.

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