Following three consecutive weeks of operator-friendly results, New York sports bettors fought back in Week 5 of the NFL season.
Key Takeaways
- New York generates the highest handle of the NFL season.
- Bettors kept the overall win rate below 6%.
- DraftKings turned in an abysmal week.
In a heavy-volume week of pro and college football mixed with MLB playoff action, the Empire State’s eight online sportsbooks hauled in $30.2 million in gross revenue from a $591.7-million handle during the week ending Oct. 5, according to the New York Gaming Commission.
Profits fell by $20 million week-over-week and were down 42% compared to the same week in 2024.
New York sports betting gross revenue nearly equaled the first week of the NFL season when bettors put together a nice run against sportsbooks. The 5.1% hold nearly cut in half the three straight win rates of at least 9% during September. It’s just the third win rate under 6% in 2025.
The week generated the most dollars wagered this football season and was the highest since early January, but the hold is the lowest since late March when bettors feasted on NCAA Tournament favorites.
DraftKings struggles
Of New York’s two major operators, DraftKings took the brunt of the customer-friendly week ending Oct. 5. The online sportsbook produced 67% less revenue than the previous week, generating $7.6 million from a $212-million handle, marking DraftKings’ fourth consecutive week with a handle over $200 million.
The latest week of profits was still higher than the first week of September when bettors used a 2.2% hold to keep gross revenue under $5 million during the NFL’s Week 1.
FanDuel had a better run during the week ending Oct. 5, but it still wasn’t great, generating $13.2 million in gross revenue from a $218.7-million handle, its highest since the previous Super Bowl week. It’s also the first time FanDuel has put together back-to-back $200-million handle weeks since January.
However, the 6% hold was the online operator’s second consecutive win rate under 7%.
Profits plummet
DraftKings wasn’t alone in struggling in the Empire State. Of the remaining six online operators, only Caesars saw revenue increase week-over-week. The other five sportsbooks endured significant profit decreases.
Fanatics Sportsbook fell from $4.4 million during the previous week to $2.5 million despite the handle rising over $3 million to $48.6 million in the week ending Oct. 5. BetMGM generated $40 million in wagers for the first time this football season. Still, revenue dipped 42% week-over-week to $2.5 million.
BetRivers had its highest handle since early last September at $13 million, but it turned just a 4.4% hold. ESPN BET had it even worse, generating nearly $13 million, its best of the football season, but only winning back 2.1%. Bally Bet’s week-over-week revenue plummeted by 80% from a nearly identical $3.2-million handle.
Caesars’ 8.5% hold was the highest of the week, as the online operator made $1.5 million more than the previous week off its fourth handle of over $40 million in 2025.
