Pennsylvania April Revenue
Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks took $711.57 million in wagers this April, their richest fourth-month handle to date and a 10.1% bump on last year. Operators kept $61.78 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR), up 4.6% year-over-year; however, the statewide hold slid to 8.68% (-0.46 percentage points). That slimmer margin nudged the month’s tax transfer down to $14.46 million, about 5% lower than April 2024 despite the heavier betting volume.
Pennsylvania’s April Trajectory
| Year | Handle | GGR | Hold | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $572.15 m | $51.79 m | 9.05 % | $13.33 m |
| 2024 | $646.06 m | $59.05 m | 9.14 % | $15.27 m |
| 2025 | $711.57 m | $61.78 m | 8.68 % | $14.46 m |
YoY change (2024 → 2025): Handle +10.1 % | GGR +4.6 % | Taxes -5.3 % | Verified data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
How Pennsylvania Compares with a Like-Sized Market
Why Ohio?
The Keystone and Buckeye States sit side-by-side in population (≈13M vs. 12M) and both feature deep operator line-ups, making handle-to-tax efficiency easy to size up.
| April 2025 | Pennsylvania | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Online books | 10 | 16 |
| Handle | $711.57 m | $807.22 m |
| GGR | $61.78 m | $73.69 m |
| Hold % | 8.68% | 9.13% |
| State tax | $14.46 m (eff. 23.4% of GGR) | $14.74 m (eff. 20.0% of GGR) |
Where the Money Goes
Pennsylvania’s sports-betting taxes, effectively 23% of GGR, flow chiefly into the lower school property taxes, support for the agricultural community, to enhance business, and provide grants through the Commonwealth for use by counties and municipalities.
How Pennsylvania Got Here
Lawmakers legalized sports wagering in 2017 (HB 271); retail books debuted in November 2018, and mobile apps followed in May 2019. Ten online brands now operate: Bet365, BetMGM, BetPARX, BetRivers, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics, FanDuel, and SugarHouse, pushing lifetime handle past $30 billion.
With NFL preseason futures already posting, operators will look to recapture last summer’s double-digit hold. At the same time, legislators eye fresh tweaks to promotional-credit deductions that could further sway monthly tax flows.
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Sergey has been in sports journalism since 2007 as a reporter, editor, and manager. He has covered the Olympic Games, soccer World Cups, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the European championships, the Stanley Cup Finals, IOC events, and many others. Sergey interviewed the sport's greatest athletes, coaches, and executives. Since 2016, he has been an Independent Senior Editor of NHL.com/ru.