The first week of NFL extended New York’s $500 million handle streak to three consecutive weeks, but the Empire State’s online sportsbooks endured a 10% week-over-week decrease.
Key Takeaways
- Sportsbooks took in more money during Week 1 this year than last
- Revenue and high win percentages were hard to find for online operators
- DraftKings suffered a massive drop-off and won back just 1% of bets
The New York Gaming Commission recently reported that the eight mobile sports betting operators generated $527.6 million in wagers during the week ending Sept. 7, which included all but Monday Night Football of Week 1.
Compared to the same week in 2024, the handle rose 10.8%. This year, the NFL season led off with a huge Thursday opener between the Cowboys and Eagles, and ended the weekend with a battle of Super Bowl preseason co-favorites between the Ravens and Bills. College football also had its second full week, MLB’s wild card race heated up, and the U.S. Open tennis major ended in New York on Sunday.
Profits plummet
New York online sportsbooks didn’t fare as well as the previous year’s Week 1, though. The $28.3 million in weekly gross revenue produced dropped 12% year-over-year and was the lowest weekly combined profit output New York operators have had since late April.
Operators began the season in the same manner as many weeks went last year. Sportsbooks produced a 5.3% hold during the week ending Sept. 7.
All eight online operators suffered week-over-week revenue losses. Sportsbooks were hit hard on parlays and teasers as NFL favorites went 11-2 on the moneyline on Sunday. Week-over-week profits fell an even steeper 57.4%.
Big drop for DraftKings
DraftKings got hit especially hard, producing a staggering 1% win rate on a $205.2 million handle. The online operator led New York in weekly handle and surpassed $200 million for the first time since March. However, the $2.2 million in gross revenue marks just the fifth weekly profit under $10 million in 2025.
FanDuel’s gross revenue dropped $7 million week-over-week as the online sportsbook’s 8.3% hold on a 173.7 million handle produced $14.5 million in profit.
After weeks of seeing a single bettor wager massive amounts, Fanatics Sportsbook took its more typical action as its handle fell from $145.8 million to $51.9 million during the week ending Sept. 7. A healthy 11.4% hold produced $5.9 million in revenue, third most in New York for the week.
Low holds
BetMGM and Caesars both generated handles over $30 million during the NFL’s Week 1, but neither reached a hold of 7%.
BetRivers turned in a similar win rate on an $11.6 million handle, sixth-best in New York for the week, while ESPN BET saw a nice week-over-week handle bump to $10.5 million, but gross revenue fell from $880,056 to $500,325. Bally Bet had one of the lowest win rates, keeping just 4.9% from a $2.8 million handle.
