Arizona Sports Betting Sets Record in December
December was a record-setting month for Arizona sports betting.
The state's sports betting handle was $499.2 million, 7% higher than November’s $466.7 million. The previous record was $486.1 million, set in October 2021.
Arizona’s December mobile handle was also a record, with the state taking $494.5 million in online bets, a 7.7% increase from November’s $459.3 million. October 2021 was also the previous mobile handle high, with the state recording $479.3 million in wagers during the month.
December’s sports betting revenue (adjusted gross event wagering receipts) was $17.3 million, a decrease of 45.8% from November's $31.9 million. State taxes from sports betting in December were $1.7 million, down 45.8% from November’s $3.2 million.
Arizona Sports Betting Revenue & Handle, December vs. November
| Month | Total Handle | Mobile Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | $499.214M | $494.488M | $17.282M |
| November | $466.726M | $459.299M | $31.899M |
| Change | Up 7.0%% | Up 7.7% | Down 45.8% |
Arizona went live with its retail and online sports betting market on Sept. 9, allowing its residents to bet on all major college and pro team sports, tennis, golf, motorsports, boxing, soccer, rugby, darts, and Australian rules football.
In total, 18 operators, including 10 tribes and eight professional sports teams, were granted sportsbook licenses in the initial application period. The bigger brands such as FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, WynnBet, Unibet, and Caesars were the first to go live in the state and begin accepting wagers.
Top 10 states for December
Overall, in December, the nationwide sports betting handle was $7.350 billion, with total sports betting revenue at $280 million.
New Jersey had the highest overall handle in December at $1.34 billion, while Nevada was the only other state to eclipse $1 billion in the handle at $1.015 billion. Pennsylvania ($750.4 million), Michigan ($514.6 million), Arizona ($499.2 million), Indiana ($463 million), Colorado ($461.4 million), Virginia ($426.6 million and Tennessee ($341.8 million) rounded out the top 10 states with the highest handles in December.
2021 National Sports Betting Numbers
| Month | Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| January | $4.37B | $333.8M |
| February | $4.01BM | $179.9M |
| March | $4.63B | $310.9M |
| April | $3.70B | $256.1M |
| May | $3.71B | $244.7M |
| June | $3.68B | $308.4M |
| July | $2.80B | $243.9M |
| August | $3.07B | $196.1M |
| September | $5.49B | $334.5M |
| October | $7.54B | $514.8M |
| November | $7.402B | $634.9M |
| December | $7.35B | $279.6M |
| TOTAL | $57.75B | $3.838B |
Top Arizona Sportsbooks in December
DraftKings Sportsbook recorded the highest handle of Arizona’s sportsbooks during December, taking in $146 million in bets.
FanDuel was second at $131.1 million, while BetMGM was third with $103.7 million. Caesars produced a handle of $76 million, and Penn Sports’ Barstool Sportsbook recorded $20.6 million.
