In December, Massachusetts witnessed a remarkable surge in combined sports betting and casino revenue, totaling an impressive $163.6 million, representing a substantial 14.4% increase from the preceding month.
This substantial growth in revenue has undoubtedly caught the attention of industry observers and stakeholders alike.
Starting with sports betting, the month of December saw a narrow but significant triumph, surpassing the previous record set in November.
The Bay State officially embraced legal sports betting in March 2023. During this month, avid players enthusiastically placed bets totaling $643.2 million online, with an additional $15.5 million in wagers made at retail sportsbooks.
In terms of taxable revenue generated from sports betting, December witnessed a notable uptick, reaching $60.6 million.
This figure marked a substantial 23.9% increase compared to the $48.9 million recorded in November. Impressively, this was just a mere 0.7% short of the monthly record set back in May, which stood at $61.0 million.
Online betting contributed significantly, accounting for $59.3 million of the total sports betting revenue, while retail sportsbooks brought in $1.3 million.
Among individual operators, DraftKings continued to lead the online betting market in Massachusetts.
In December, DraftKings reported $29.9 million in revenue, stemming from a remarkable $316.9 million in online bets. Following closely in second place was FanDuel, owned by Flutter Entertainment, with $19.3 million in revenue from a handle of $187.4 million.
In third place, BetMGM trailed with revenue of $3.1 million, derived from $39.2 million in total online wagers.
In the land-based sector, Plainridge Park Casino emerged as the leader with $534,411 in revenue from a handle of $7.2 million.
Encore Boston Harbor closely followed with $499,411 in revenue from $6.4 million in wagers, while MGM Springfield secured the third position with $259,588 in revenue from a $1.9 million handle.
Shifting focus to the casino market, revenue from land-based venues reached $103.0 million in December, representing an impressive 9.6% increase from the $94.0 million recorded in November.
This figure was further broken down into $68.7 million from slots and $34.3 million from table games.
Encore Boston Harbor claimed the top spot in the casino segment, generating a total of $65.8 million in revenue, comprising $36.2 million from slots and $29.7 million from table games.
MGM Springfield secured the second position with $23.6 million in revenue, of which $19.0 million came from slots and $4.6 million from table games.
In third place was Plainridge Park Casino, contributing $13.6 million to the total revenue, exclusively from slot games.
Massachusetts collected a substantial $12.0 million in sports betting tax and an additional $29.0 million in casino tax.
The cumulative tax revenue for the month amounted to an impressive $41.1 million, further reflecting the state’s thriving gambling industry.