Massachusetts Reports Slight Sports Betting Increase in April

The dropoff in wagering was likely due in part to the slowing of the sports calendar in April.

Geoff Zochodne - Sports Betting Journalist at Covers.com
Geoff Zochodne • Senior News Analyst
May 15, 2023 • 13:42 ET • 2 min read
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The second month of online sports betting sites in the Bay State saw a slight increase in wagering and a good bump in taxable revenue.

Numbers published by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday showed there was $579.3 million in legal sports betting in the commonwealth last month. That was up from $568.2 million for March, when online operators first went live about a third of the way through the month. 

The relatively small uptick in wagering was likely due in part to the slowing of the sports calendar in April. With football season and March Madness in the rearview mirror, the pace of play at sportsbooks tends to ease. 

Still, gross revenue for April was $60.3 million, leading to a 10.41% hold for sportsbooks. In March, the gross win and win rate for operators was $48.3 million and 10.35%.

Massachusetts sports betting also saw its taxable revenue shoot up in April to $58.9 million for the month from $47.1 million in March. As a result, tax collected went from $9.4 million in March to $11.8 million in April.

The bulk of April's action was taken by online sportsbooks, which handled $566.2 million in bets last month. The online sportsbooks were also responsible for the lion's share of revenue, with $59.9 million in receipts reported for April.

Hometown favorite delivers

The leading online sportsbook by handle last month was DraftKings, with $283.8 million in current and future wagers settled by the Boston-based bookmaker during April. DraftKings also generated almost $29 million in gross revenue, tops among the six operators that were live in Massachusetts last month. 

Second was FanDuel, with $172.6 million in handle and $22.1 million in gross revenue in April. Placing third last month was BetMGM, with almost $43 million in handle and $4.7 million in gross revenue.

This story has been updated from its original version following an update to the MGC's revenue report.

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Geoff Zochodne, Covers Sports Betting Journalist
Senior News Analyst

Geoff has been writing about the legalization and regulation of sports betting in Canada and the United States for more than four years. His work has included coverage of launches in New York, Ohio, and Ontario, numerous court proceedings, and the decriminalization of single-game wagering by Canadian lawmakers. As an expert on the growing online gambling industry in North America, Geoff has appeared on and been cited by publications and networks such as Axios, TSN Radio, and VSiN. Prior to joining Covers, he spent 10 years as a journalist reporting on business and politics, including a stint at the Ontario legislature. More recently, Geoff’s work has focused on the pending launch of a competitive iGaming market in Alberta, the evolution of major companies within the gambling industry, and efforts by U.S. state regulators to rein in offshore activity and college player prop betting.

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