A recently released Arizona Department of Gaming sports betting handle and revenue report shows the 17 retail and online sportsbook operators accepted $610.7 million in wagers during September. The $610.7 million was a 70.2% boost from their August betting handle and a 13.7% hike from one year ago.
That earned the Arizona sportsbooks a collective $32.5 million in revenue. That amounted to a $3.2 million tax charge for the right to do business in the State of Arizona.
DraftKings Sportsbook Top Mobile Destination
DraftKings AZ is one of the four sportsbooks to accept over $1 billion in wagers. They topped all 17 bookmakers during September with a $218 million betting handle. The Boston-based operator also topped the state with $11.4 million in promotional freebies.
DraftKings might have made the most bets, but rival FanDuel AZ generated the most revenue. The NYC-based bookmaker generated a whopping $13.9 million in revenue on a $179.1 million handle.
BetMGM had a big month with $89.9 million, followed by Caesars ($56.2 million) and Desert Diamond Mobile with $25.1 million in September sports betting handle.
Only four mobile operators generated at least $1 million in revenue (FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars).
Promotional Bonus Bets and Bonuses Rise During September
Arizona sports betting operators rely on promotions and bonus bets to attract business. Some would argue that most Arizona sportsbooks would be out of business if not for the freebies, and the September report seems to confirm this theory.
The bookies gave out $27.1 welcome bonuses and bonus bets during September. It isn’t a coincidence that the four top-earning bookmakers also gave away the most Arizona promotional wagers.
FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars all gave out $1 million or more in these promotions. At the same time, some sportsbooks like TwinSpires, Desert Diamond Mobile, and Golden Nugget failed to give out any September promos.
What Does this Mean for Arizona Sports Bettors?
The September report seems to confirm what we’ve been saying all along. There are four to five solid sportsbooks that Arizonans like better than the others, which is reflected in the September revenue report.
These four sportsbooks generate the most revenue partly because of their promotional spending but because FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars are familiar brands Arizonans seem to trust the most.
Betfred, Desert Diamond Mobile and TwinSpires were the only mobile sportsbooks that failed to generate sales for September.
With the strong September showing, Arizona has accepted the eighth-most post-PASPA wagers nationally, handling $12.3 billion in wagers since November 2021.
