The sports calendar is finally slowing as April represents a March Madness champion getting crowed, along with the start of the NBA playoffs and baseball season. However, Pennsylvania was not well-represented in any basketball festivities in April.
No Pennsylvania team made the Final Four of March Madness and the Philadelphia 76ers did not make the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Phillies might have save sports betting operators in the Keystone State. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reported on Monday that operators produced $711.6 million in handle and $61.8 million in revenue in April. Hold percentage came out to 8.7%.
Sportsbooks experienced a 15.6% month-over-month decline but a 10.1% year-over-year increase. Revenue increased 25.6% from last month and 4.6% from the same period last year.
Pennsylvania April sports betting at a glance
- Handle: $711.6 million (15.6% MoM decrease; 10.1% YoY increase)
- Revenue: $49.2 million (25.6% MoM increase; 4.6% YoY increase)
- Adjusted Gross Revenue (taxable): $42.5 million
- Hold: 8.7% (up from from 5.8% last month)
- Percent of bets placed online: 95.6%
- Promotional credits: $19.3 million
- April sports betting tax revenue: $14.5 million
- State and local entities tax revenue: $850,668.89
- Top sports betting app by handle: FanDuel Sportsbook with $269.8 million
- Top sports betting app by revenue: FanDuel with $27.4 million
Fanatics posts encouraging hold rate
Fanatics Sportsbook has been a formidable operator in Pennsylvania since launching. In April, Fanatics boasted a 9.1% hold percentage, which was third among online operators.
Fanatics finished behind market leaders, FanDuel and DraftKings in hold percentage. It also finished behind them in revenue, too. The operator recorded $3.8 million in earnings.
Fanatics easily placed ahead of the next-best finisher, BetMGM, who posted $2.9 million in revenue, despite much higher handle.
Bet365 maintains t0p 5 status
Bet365 Sportsbook is another new operator that has already made its mark in the Keystone State. The platform has finished fifth in handle in every month of 2025.
April represented a strong month for bet365, which turned in $34.2 million in handle and $2.7 million in revenue. It, once again, finished above ESPN BET in both categories.
It’s rare to see new platforms, such as bet365 and Fanatics, make a strong impact in a short amount of time. While FanDuel and DraftKings are the established market leaders, the new operators are making their presence felt in the Keystone State.
ESPN BET market share increases again
ESPN BET has increased market share for the second straight month, after a dismal showing in February. The operator has displayed the following market share results in 2025:
- January: 4.8%
- February: 3.7%
- March: 4.2%
- April: 4.5%
ESPN BET has a long way to go before it makes the impact it was looking for after PENN Entertainment made the agreement in 2023. The company has until 2026 to opt-out of the 10-year contract PENN and ESPN BET signed into the sports betting industry.
PENN Entertainment CEO, Jay Snowden, said in an earnings call earlier this month that the opt-out clause is on the table:
“As you get into 2026, you get the third anniversary of our relationship with ESPN, and both sides expect to be in a really good place. We are head down, laser focused. We have tremendous plans in place for 2025 and 2026.
“But for one, if we’re not hitting the levels that we need to then, obviously, as you’re approaching that third anniversary, you have a three-year clause in the contract that both sides will have to do what’s in their best interest. That’s always out there.”
If ESPN BET does not improve by 2026, it’s quite possible that PENN Entertainment can sever ties with the operator.
PA sportsbook handle by operator in March
| Licensee | Online Brand | Handle | Revenue | Hold | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge | FanDuel | $269,836,185 | $27,373,340 | 10.1% | $7,226,954 |
| Hollywood Meadows | DraftKings | $185,602,950 | $17,662,531 | 9.5% | $4,372,407 |
| Hollywood Morgantown | BetMGM | $60,055,196 | $2,887,907 | 4.8% | $534,321 |
| Hollywood York | Fanatics | $42,038,254 | $3,810,724 | 9.1% | $424,211 |
| Presque Isle Downs | bet365 | $34,243,132 | $2,686,370 | 7.8% | $688,438 |
| Hollywood Penn National | ESPN BET | $32,243,132 | $2,336,142 | 7.3% | $603,927 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | Caesars | $25,824,434 | $1,491,259 | 5.8% | $446,647 |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | BetRivers | $25,411,936 | $1,111,904 | 4.4% | $244,605 |
| Parx | betParx | $14,986,726 | $1,058,543 | 7.1% | $338,485 |
| Rivers Philadelphia | PlaySugarHouse | $12,149,428 | $744,574 | 6.1% | $208,603 |
| Live Philadelphia | Betway | $5,490,455 | $151,438 | 2.8% | $54,518 |
| Live Pittsburgh | $1,087,213 | $247,640 | 22.8% | $89,150 | |
| Wind Creek | Wind Creek | $828,888 | $35,434 | 4.3% | $12,756 |
| Mohegan Pennsylvania | $717,634 | $117,077 | 16.3% | $42,148 | |
| Mohegan Lehigh Valley | $712,790 | $90.238 | 12.7% | $32,486 | |
| Mount Airy | $389,661 | ($26,742) | -6.9% | ($9,627) | |
| Parx Shippensburg | $42,879 | $5,585 | 13.0% | $2,011 | |
| Total | $711,569,216 | $61,783,963 | 8.7% | $15,312,040 |
