In July, the World Cup propped up sports betting handle and revenue during a usually down month for wagering operators. A month later, the sports calendar’s late start to the most popular betting sport hurt wagering companies in most states, including Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
The first college football game kicked off four days later than it did in 2025 — Aug. 27 vs. Aug. 23 — and the first full slate of NCAA games didn’t come until Aug. 29. Also, the NFL kicked off five days later than in 2025, with a Super Bowl repeat matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on Sept. 9. The first game of the season in 2025 was on Sept. 4.
The net result was a sag in the revenue reports in three key wagering states. Operators may see a bump in October when there will be five college football Saturdays as compared to four last year.
Below is a look at how operators in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania fared during the last full month of summer:
Michigan
FanDuel led all operators in handle and revenue for August, though state sportsbooks had their worst month of 2026 in regard to handle. The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) last Friday reported that bettors in the state laid down $330.5 billion in bets and operators took $24.2 million in adjusted gross revenue (AGR). The handle number was down 7% against July and has not been above $400 million since May. Handle and AGR were down against both August 2025 and July.
FanDuel took $111 million in bets, nearly $10 million more than DraftKings’ $91.1 million. BetMGM ($32.9 million), Fanatics Sportsbook ($31.4 million), and Caesars Sportsbook ($17.2 million) were the other operators to have double-digit handle. FanDuel was the only company to break double digits in AGR with $11.7 million.
Per the MGCB press release, sportsbooks had a 7.3% win rate — half of what it was in August 2025 — and paid $1.6 million in state taxes and $495,000 in city taxes and fees.
New Jersey
State sportsbooks had $61.4 million in gross revenue for August, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported Sept. 16. Per the press release, revenue was down 25% against August 2025, “reflect[ing] a later start to the fall sports calendar” against last year. In addition, hold was down year-over-year.
Revenue was down against July’s $97 million, which was buoyed by the World Cup.
Through August, New Jersey sportsbooks have reported $671.4 million in 2026 revenue as compared to $708.7 million through August 2025. FanDuel remained at the top of the revenue heap last month, with $22.6 million in gross revenue for August, followed by DraftKings with $16.9 million, BetMGM with $5.3 million, Fanatics Sportsbook with $4.7 million, and bet365 with $4.2 million.
Pennsylvania
The low handle and revenue trend was also apparent in the Keystone State, where sportsbooks took $498.5 million in bets and reported $39.4 million in taxable revenue in August, according to a Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board report released last Thursday. Per the report, the amount of taxable revenue was down 19.9% against August 2025.
FanDuel remained the market leader with $169.4 million in handle and $15.1 million in revenue (including a retail revenue loss of $291,050). DraftKings was second with $161.5 million in bets placed and $10.8 million in revenue. Fanatics Sportsbook, BetMGM, and bet365 rounded out the top five for handle and taxable revenue.
Total operator win was 10.1%.
