New York’s mobile sportsbooks handled more money from customers in September than the year before, but keeping it in their coffers was another matter.
The state’s eight operators generated $159.4 million in gross gaming revenue, a 17.7% decline from September 2025, according to figures released by the New York State Gaming Commission. Yet bettors wagered $2.4 billion, up 5% from the $2.29 billion handled a year earlier.
As a result, sportsbooks kept 6.6% of the money wagered this September, down from 8.5% last September. This marks the lowest September hold rate since New York launched mobile betting in January 2022.
The return of football brought plenty of action compared to August, with handle jumping 38.7%. Revenue, however, fell 5.4%.
There was an early hint of how the month would go. As previously noted, the week ending Sept. 13 brought nearly $595 million in wagers, a record for an NFL opening weekend in New York. The books kept just $17 million of it, for a 2.9% hold.
The state collected $81.3 million in September tax receipts. Through the first six months of the 2026-2027 fiscal year, mobile sportsbooks handled $12.56 billion in wagers and generated $1.11 billion in revenue, with $564.8 million going to the state.
Breakdown
FanDuel led all operators with $904.7 million in September handle and $63.7 million in revenue at a 7% hold. Handle rose 14.5% from September 2025, but revenue fell 18%.
DraftKings reported $840.1 million in handle and $56 million in revenue for a 6.7% hold. Wagering was down 3.5% year-over-year, while revenue dropped 16%. FanDuel and DraftKings combined for 72.7% of the state’s handle.
Fanatics had the largest year-over-year handle increase in the market, taking $266.8 million in bets, up 21.8%. But its 5.4% hold left revenue at $14.4 million, down 29.8%. That was the steepest revenue decline among the eight operators.
Caesars accepted $152.7 million in wagers, essentially flat with September 2025. Its 5.2% hold was the lowest in the market, leaving revenue at $7.9 million, down 27.4%.
BetMGM took $148.4 million in wagers, down 1%, and generated $10 million in revenue at a 6.7% hold rate. Revenue fell 8.5% year-over-year.
BetRivers, operated by Rush Street Interactive, reported $43.9 million in handle and $3.4 million in revenue for a 7.7% hold. Handle declined 4.2% and revenue slipped 4.9%.
Penn Entertainment’s theScore Bet was one of just two operators to grow revenue compared to a year ago. Its $2.8 million was up 1.8% from predecessor ESPN Bet’s September 2025 total, despite handle falling 32.9% to $31.6 million. Its hold came in at 9%.
Bally Bet had the highest hold in the market at 9.3%, producing $1.2 million in revenue on $13.4 million in wagers. Revenue jumped 58.4% from a year ago, while handle rose 3.5%.
September’s wagering pushed New York’s all-time mobile handle to $103.8 billion. It was the busiest September on record, even as six of the eight sportsbooks made less money than they did a year earlier.
