December returns for Pennsylvania’s first three retail sports books (two more would open during the month) gave sports betting a fast start in the state, despite fees and revenue tax far higher than any other state with legal sports betting.
The sports books at Hollywood, Rivers and SugarHouse casinos generated $16 million in wagers and $2 million in revenue during December. The operators, each of which had already paid a $10 million license fee to the state, only got to keep two-thirds of that revenue, thanks to Pennsylvania’s 36 percent tax on sports-book revenue.
The returns were still encouraging for operators, who will be able to ramp the revenue up to new levels once Pennsylvania begins online betting later this year.
