Despite generating the lowest handle of 2025, Bay State sports betting operators accepted $485.9 million in wagers in July, an 18.9% year-over-year increase.
Key Takeaways
- Massachusetts operators produced the longest double-digit hold streak in the state’s sports betting history.
- The last two months’ wagering and profits were up significantly from the same stretch in 2024.
- Three online sportsbooks helped get the win rate over 10%.
It’s the first time since August 2024 that sportsbooks didn’t reach $500 million. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported on Thursday that the seven online operators and three brick-and-mortar sportsbooks still produced $49.2 million in gross revenue, a 16% spike compared to July 2024.
Massachusetts sports betting operators produced a double-digit hold for a third consecutive month for the first time since sports betting launched in January 2023. The 10.1% hold was up from 8.3% in July 2024, but it was unable to catch May’s 12.6% or June’s 11.9%.
Sportsbooks paid out $9.6 million to the Bay State from $48 million in taxable profits. Massachusetts is closing in on $100 million in tax revenue for the year with football season still to come.
Not so slow
July is typically a slower month for operators because of lower volume. MLB accounts for most of the action, but the league was off for a week during the All-Star break. There was also just one NFL preseason game, at the end of the month, to drive betting.
Still, the difference between June and July by handle in 2025 was half of 2024’s drop-off, signifying sports betting growth in Massachusetts. Also, those two months generated over $1 billion in wagers, a nearly 9% year-over-year increase, and $100 million in gross revenue, up from the $84.4 million produced in the same stretch last year.
DraftKings, FanDuel stay hot
| Online Operator | July Handle | Revenue |
| DraftKings | $235.9 million | $24.9 million |
| FanDuel | $121.6 million | $12.5 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $55.3 million | $4.5 million |
| BetMGM | $37.9 million | $4.5 million |
| Caesars | $14.8 million | $802,091 |
| ESPN BET | $13.9 million | $1 million |
Online sports betting in Massachusetts accounted for $483.2 million and $47.4 million of the gross revenue. Three of the state’s seven mobile operators produced double-digit win rates in July.
DraftKings was among them, winning back $24.9 million of the $235.9 million in accepted wagers. Both numbers were down from the previous month but still the best in Massachusetts. FanDuel generated nearly $115 million less than DraftKings, but it did have a 10% hold that produced $12.5 million in gross revenue, over $5 million less than June’s haul.
Fanatics Sportsbook utilized an 8.2% hold to generate $4.5 million in gross profit from a third-best $55-million handle. BetMGM enjoyed the only other double-digit hold, producing a state-best 11.9% win rate to match Fanatics’ July revenue despite a $27-million lower handle.
Caesars edged out ESPN BET for fifth place in handle at $14.8 million, but the PENN Entertainment platform reached $1 million in gross revenue. A 5.4% win rate, the lowest online operator hold in the state in July, kept Caesars from reaching that mark.
Retail profits
The Bay State’s three retail sportsbooks produced a 9.2% hold on a $6.3-million handle. Boston Encore had a win rate below 7%, generating a little over $230,000 on a state-leading $3.5-million handle.
Plainridge Park enjoyed a healthy 12.8% hold on $1.9 million in wagers, while MGM Springfield came close to a 12% hold, winning back over $101,000 on an $857,275 handle.
