Record October handle for Massachusetts sports betting

Player spending on sports betting in Massachusetts last month was 19.3% higher than in October 2024.

Massachusetts has joined several other US states in reporting record sports betting figures for October, with the Bay State posting an all-time high monthly handle of $892.2 million.

October’s total surpassed the prior record — $800.3 million set this September — by 11.5%. It was also 19.3% ahead of the $748.1 million wagered in October 2024, figures from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission showed.

Players spent $879.2 million betting online and a further $12.6 million at retail sportsbooks.

Revenue performance and hold

As for revenue, the October total amounted to $71.3 million. This comfortably surpassed the prior October by 47.6% and September’s haul by 36.3%. However, taxable gaming revenue fell some way short of the all-time high of $96.4 million, set in January 2025.

Online wagers accounted for $70.7 million of all sports betting revenue during the month, with retail contributing just $598,901.

Based on these figures, the monthly statewide hold for Massachusetts was 7.99%.

Massachusetts was by no means the only state to see betting handle reach a record level in October. Pennsylvania also reported record betting activity, while betting revenue in Michigan hit an all-time high.

No stopping DraftKings in Massachusetts

Turning to operators, DraftKings remained the online market leader in its home state by some margin. Taking $38.5 million off $447.4 million in bets meant a hold of 8.61%.

FanDuel was again the closest challenger, posting $17.3 million in revenue from a $237.3 million handle, resulting in a 7.38% hold. Fanatics moved up a place to third with $7.5 million off $82.4 million for a 9.1% hold.

BetMGM took $3.6 million in revenue from handle of $55 million, which meant a hold of 6.55%. ESPN Bet followed with $2.1 million from $27.7 million for a 7.58% hold. Next was Caesars at $1.4 million off $25 million, meaning a 5.6% hold.

Bally Bet was the only other online operator, taking $314,452 from $4.8 million for a 6.69% monthly hold.

Land-based sportsbook performance

As for the land-based market, Plainridge Park Casino narrowly took top spot with $306,328 in revenue. Based on a $5.4 million handle, this meant a hold of 5.72%. Encore Boston Harbor posted $292,573 off $6 million for a 4.91% hold, but MGM Springfield failed to post any revenue despite a $1.3 million handle.

Massachusetts casino revenue exceeds $96 million

In terms of casino gaming activity, total revenue for the month was $96.9 million. This beat last year by 2.3% and September by 1.3%.

Gross gaming revenue from slots topped $71.7 million while table games revenue hit $25.1 million. Encore Boston Harbor was the market leader with $57.6 million in casino revenue, ahead of MGM with $24.1 million and Plainridge Park with $15.2 million.

Looking to tax revenue, the total collected by the state in October was $42.1 million. This included $27.9 million from casino gaming and $14.2 million from sports betting.