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- New York’s sports betting handle fell 15.3% year over year in August, marking only the second monthly decline in the market’s history.
- Despite the dip, New York still dominated early state reporting, accounting for 76% of the $2.27 billion total handle and 90% of the state tax revenue across five states.
New York’s sports betting handle fell 15.3% year over year in August, the standout result from the first batch of five state reports released for the month.
That matters because New York remains the country’s largest mobile betting market and accounted for 76% of handle and 90% of tax/state share in this early reporting group. Across New York, Maryland, Maine, Delaware, and Arkansas, the combined figures reached $2.27 billion in handle and $218.37 million in revenue.
New York posts a rare year-over-year decline
New York reported $1,733,255,323 in August handle, down from $2,047,456,610 a year earlier. Revenue fell less sharply, down 5.2% to $168,863,633, as hold improved to 9.74% from 8.70% in August 2025.
The report described August as only the second year-over-year monthly decline in New York’s market history, after a 1.5% dip in January 2026. It was also the state’s second straight month below $2 billion in handle after 11 consecutive months above that mark.
Retail betting remained a very small piece of the market at about $1.95 million, or 0.11% of total New York handle. The state’s results were especially important to the broader batch because New York alone generated the overwhelming majority of tax revenue tied to these early August reports.
Maryland and Maine grew handle, but revenue slipped
Maryland reported $465,906,573 in handle and $35,229,563 in revenue. Its hold came in at 9.70%, down from 12.10% a year earlier, with the state share totaling $7,018,667.
Maine posted $49,301,317 in handle and $3,912,445 in revenue. Hold there was 7.94%, down from 11.28% in August 2025, and the state’s share was $391,244.
Those results fit the same pattern in both states: betting volume increased, but sportsbook revenue and state collections were pressured as margins moved lower year over year.
Delaware and Arkansas lead the smaller-state results
Delaware reported $17,157,609 in handle and $1,283,525 in revenue, with hold at 7.48%. The state share rose 52.8% to $713,609.
Arkansas reported $9,080,955 in combined casino and sports gaming revenue and $1,180,524 in tax. The source notes that Arkansas’ figure combines casino and sports gaming rather than isolating sports betting alone.
The next major question for the market is whether New York’s August decline was a one-month anomaly or the start of a broader slowdown. More complete August reporting from states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio, along with September football-season data, should provide a clearer answer.
Source: As reported by Sol Fayerman-Hansen.
