Louisiana has recorded a consecutive third-month surge in sports bets. The state reported a record-breaking monthly handle of $377 million in December, up 5.7% from the previous month’s figure of $356.6 million and a substantial 48% increase compared to December 2022.
Online wagers constituted a significant portion, amounting to $344.9 million, while an additional $32.1 million was spent on retail sportsbooks during the month.
The Pelican State set a new record of $55.8 million in revenue in December. This surpassed the prior high set in October 2023 by 28.9%. The monthly figure also demonstrated a notable 50.8% increase compared to December 2022’s $37 million and a substantial 187.6% surge from November’s $19.4 million.
The breakdown of revenue for December showed that online sports wagering contributed $51.3 million after promotional deductions, while retail revenue amounted to $4.5 million, also after deducting promotional items.
Tax revenue for the month stood at $7.6 million, with online betting contributing $7.2 million, and retail activity adding $407,672.
Examining the year-to-date performance in Louisiana, the handle for the six months ending in December reached $1.60 billion. This comprised $1.45 billion from online bets and $156.6 million from retail wagers.
In terms of revenue for the same period, the combined online and retail revenue amounted to $194.2 million. Of this total, $175.5 million was derived from internet betting, while physical sportsbooks contributed $18.7 million.
Nine operators currently operate online sportsbooks in Louisiana, including ESPN Bet, Bet Rivers, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, Betway, and Bet365. The most recent addition, Bet365, commenced operations in Louisiana in November last year through a partnership with Boyd Gaming’s Amelia Belle, a riverboat casino in Amelia, Louisiana.
