The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported $84.4 million in sports betting revenue for January on Friday as even the New England Patriots’ run to Super Bowl LX was not enough to stop operators from posting a double-digit hold.
Despite the statewide 10.4% hold on $808.9 million handle, gross revenue was down 12.4% from last year as the win rate was 2.2 percentage points lower. Handle was up 6.1% from January 2025, bucking a national trend that has seen wagering dip 3.7% when comparing like-for-like states.
The Bay State was able to levy taxes on $82.4 million in adjusted gross revenue, re-directing $16.5 million of that amount towards state coffers. Those receipts helped make Massachusetts the ninth state to surpass $400 million in state tax revenue from sports betting in the post-PASPA era.
Big names deliver big results
DraftKings and FanDuel helped keep Massachusetts in line with January sports betting figures nationwide. DraftKings retained its customary 50%-plus mobile market share for handle and reaped $45.8 million in winnings on the strength of a near-11% hold.
Its revenue dropped 13% compared to the first month of 2025 because its hold was three percentage points lower. The $418.3 million worth of accepted wagers represented a 10.9% year-over-year increase and extended its run of $400 million monthly handles to five.
FanDuel remains on an island in second – well behind DraftKings but well ahead of the other five mobile sportsbooks in Massachusetts. FanDuel attained an 11.9% win rate in keeping $23.7 million in gross revenue; that was down 19.2% from a year ago. Handle also took a downturn as the $199.7 million bet was 8.1% lower.
Fanatics continues to consolidate the No. 3 spot, beginning 2026 on an up note with $5.8 million in revenue with a 9.3% hold on $62.5 million handle. Its year-over-year growth numbers for the first quarter will be expansive as the operator did not really find its groove until last spring. Revenue surged 61.2% higher from January 2025, slightly lagging the 65.5% rise in wagering.
BetMGM was the only other operator to clear $2 million, landing at $4.7 million with an 8.2% win rate from $57.1 million worth of bets placed. TheScore Bet’s second month of operations following Penn National’s switch from ESPN Bet resulted in $1.9 million worth of winnings and an 8.4% hold against $22.7 million handle.
Caesars had the lowest hold of the seven mobile books at 5.3% in collecting $1.6 million in revenue. Bally Bet had its second-best month in the Bay State since taking its first wagers in July 2024. It finished with $539,904 in winnings thanks to a 9.3% hold on $5.8 million handle.
Over in Pennsylvania …
As the Patriots were commanding Massachusetts bettors’ attention, the Eagles going one-and-out in the NFC contributed to a notable windfall for Keystone State sportsbooks. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported $95.6 million in gross winnings for the opening month of 2026.
It was the third straight month operators combined for a statewide hold of 12% or better, landing at 12.2% against $782.4 million handle. January’s hold ranked 10th all-time in Pennsylvania history, while gross winnings placed sixth.
The hold was 2.6 percentage points higher than last year, contributing to a 13.5% increase in revenue despite a 10.4% dip in handle. Sportsbooks had two fewer Eagles games to entice bettors with promotions, and their $24.2 million spend for January dropped 26.1% from the first month of 2025.
State coffers reported an inflow of $24.3 million in receipts from $71.4 million in adjusted gross revenue. That made Pennsylvania the third state along with New York and Illinois to surpass $900 million in state tax revenue post-PASPA.
FanDuel accounted for nearly half the promotional spend in January with $11.4 million, but that was down 28% from January 2025 and in line with the statewide decline in credits and bonuses. The digital dynamo had a customary January, posting a 14.2% hold to reap $38.9 million in revenue from $274.8 million handle. Though its win rate was one full percentage point higher, revenue slacked 12.6% because wagering plunged 19.1%.
DraftKings’ outlay for the month was $5.6 million, less than half that its eternal rival and down almost one-third from January 2025. Handle, though, ticked 7% higher to $234 million and revenue climbed 20.7% to $23.3 million with a 12%-plus win rate.
Like Massachusetts, Fanatics continues to entrench itself as a No. 3 option in Pennsylvania. It narrowly missed $7 million in gross revenue for the month while attaining a 12.6% hold on $55.6 million handle. Also notable was its $1.5 million promotional spend being the lowest among the five mobile operators that had a seven-figure total for January.
BetMGM ($5.7 million) and bet365 ($4.3 million) rounded out the top five for winnings, with both books posting holds of 11% or better. TheScore Bet started the second five with $2.8 million in winnings, followed by BetRivers ($2.6 million), Caesars ($1.3 million), Parx ($1.1 million) and Mohegan Sun ($113,900).
