All About Pennsylvania Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

By Christopher Boan

@cgboan

January 21, 2026 11:23am

The experts at PennStakes.com assembled this guide to explain the terms surrounding Pennsylvania sports betting financial figures. These include the terms handle, revenue, gross revenue, and tax collections. It's worth noting this doesn't encompass the entire PA online gambling market but just sports betting specifically.

The sports betting market in Pennsylvania includes retail sportsbooks at the commonwealth’s casinos as well as mobile sports betting apps.

Overall, Pennsylvania has a sweeping array of legalized gambling options. The commonwealth has legalized traditional casino gambling and online casino gambling (slots and table games); sports wagering, both in-person and online; live and internet poker; video gambling terminals at truck stops; and fantasy sports. Pennsylvania also has horse racing and the lottery but those financial results are not included in the commonwealth’s monthly gaming report. 

In sports betting language, handle is the terms for all sports wagers placed in the state during any month (or year). The handle is broken down into retail bets, placed in person, or online handle. In Pennsylvania, bettors wager hundreds of millions of dollars each month. The vast majority of those bets are placed by people using online Pennsylvania sportsbook apps via computers or mobile devices, such as smart phones.

Revenue is what is left to the gambling operators after winnings are paid out. However, many states allow deductions resulting from promotions and bonuses to customers from the revenue total before the tax rate is applied. In Pennsylvania, the taxable revenue is called Gross Revenue in the commonwealth’s financial reports. 

In Pennsylvania, sports betting Gross Revenue is taxed at a relatively high tax rate of 36% (34% state & 2% local). But operators can deduct promotions and bonuses to customers before the tax rate is applied. Retail sports gambling launched in 2018 and online sports wagering began in 2019.

Pennsylvania Sports Betting, December vs. November

The final month of the year delivered dreary results for Pennsylvania sports betting operators and regulators alike, though the numbers were still good enough to cap a record year of 2025.

In all, December’s total sports betting handle in the Keystone State was $797,436,934, down 19.5% from November’s state record of $990,551,916), according to figures that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported on Jan. 21 as part of a larger gaming outlook.

Pennsylvania’s online sports betting handle for the final month of 2025 was $763,515,094, down 19.3% from November’s record sum of $946,556,549.

The taxable gross sports betting revenue declined 13.8% in a month-over-month comparison, from November’s record total of $98,343,744 to $84,812,544 in December. The Commonwealth’s mobile sports betting revenue was $80,377,595 last month, a 13.0% decline from November’s $92,433,986, which was also a record.

Pennsylvania’s tax revenue from sports wagering in December was $28,836,265, a 13.8% decline from November’s record breaking $33,436,873 total. And the taxes derived from online sportsbooks fell 13%, from $31,427,555 the previous month to $27,328,382 for December.

The year-over-year numbers were favorable for the state. Pennsylvania sports betting operators took in $8,858,467,926 for sports wagering in 2025, a 5.2% increase from $8,421,417,830 in 2024. Total sports betting revenue rose even more sharply, spiking 18.4% from $508,791,443 to $602,495,581 in the year that just ended.

The PGCB released numbers for all forms of gaming for 2025, noting a 27% rise in iGaming revenue, from $2.182 billion in 2024 to $2.776 billion in 2025. Total statewide revenue from all forms of gaming (online and retail including sports, physical slots, iGaming and more) totaled $6.796 billion last year.

Pennsylvania Mobile Sports Betting History