All About Pennsylvania Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

By Christopher Boan

@cgboan

December 18, 2025 12:13pm

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, November vs. October

Records fell by the wayside all around for Pennsylvania sports betting operators and regulators alike in November, according to figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board website.

The total sports betting handle, or amount wagered, was $990,551,916 last month. Gross sports betting revenue (taxable) finished at $98,343,744.

The first figure was up 2.3% from the mark set in October of $968,507,712. The statewide revenue spiked 62.1% in a month-by-month comparison with from October ($60,674,209). That set another state record by knocking off the old mark of $77,097,493, set in November 2024.

More Pennsylvania sports betting records fell, too. The online sports betting handle of $946,556,549 was a 2.2% increase from October ($926,075,303), which was the previous high-water mark. The taxable mobile sports betting revenue was $92,433,986 last month, up 64.6% from October’s $56,151,295 and surpassing the year-old record of $71,661,283.

Finally, November’s state tax revenue from sports wagering finished at $33,436,873, up 62.1% from October ($20,629,231) and breaking the mark of $26,213,148, also from November 2024. State tax revenue coming from mobile operators rose 64.6% from the previous month, from $19,091,440 to $31,427,555. That figure also passed the record of $24,364,836 that stood for 12 months.

Pennsylvania Mobile Sports Betting History