All About Pennsylvania Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

By Jim Tomlin

@jdtomlin68

February 18, 2026 04:52pm

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, January vs. December

Pennsylvania sportsbooks experienced a slight dip in handle for January compared to December, according to numbers that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board posted at its website on Feb. 18.

January’s total sports betting handle was $782,423,791, down 1.9% from December ($797,436,934) in a month-over-month comparison. The amount wagered for the first month of 2026 was also down about $90 million compared to January 2025; the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers were bounced from this year's NFL playoffs in the first round in January might have affected those numbers.

The online sports betting handle declined 2.1%, from $763,515,094 in December to $747,771,759 last month.

The taxable gross sports betting revenue dropped more sharply, down 15.8% from $84,812,544 in the last month of 2025 to $71,393,613 in January. The taxable sports betting revenue from online operators was $67,623,872 in January, down 15.9% from December ($80,377,595).

The taxes fell at the same rate, with January’s figure of $24,273,829 marking a 15.8% decline from $28,836,265 in December.

Pennsylvania Mobile Sports Betting History