Arizona bettors wager more than $500M on April sporting events
Jul 10, 2022, 5:45 AM
Guests arrive at FanDuel Sportsbook inside Footprint Center, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, in Phoenix. Arizona's first sports betting operations are now open in time for the start of the NFL season with live wagers allowed on college and professional sports. Betting began Thursday online and at the FanDuel Sportsbook at the downtown Phoenix arena where the Phoenix Suns play and at temporary betting windows at the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX – After Arizonans placed legal sports bets in record amounts during March Madness, the action eased in April.
Arizona sportsbooks handled nearly $513 million dollars in April, a drop of more than $175 million from the previous month, according to numbers released by the Arizona Department of Gaming on Tuesday.
It was the third month with a handle above $500M since betting on sporting events became legal in Arizona in September 2021.
“Event wagering levels continue to look strong in Arizona, with over half a billion dollars wagered during April,” Gaming Director Ted Vogt said in a press release.
April featured the beginning of Major League Baseball’s regular season and the start of the NBA playoffs.
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Buoyed by the NCAA basketball tournament, the handle was just under $691 million in March, a record through eight months of reporting.
April’s action generated $1.6 million dollars in privilege fees for the state, while sportsbooks paid out more than $482 million in winnings.
With just under $156 million in wagers through its app, DraftKings had the largest April handle among the state’s authorized sportsbooks.
FanDuel was close behind, with $152.5 million, including nearly $2.7 million at its in-person location at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.
BetMGM was the only other Arizona book to handle more than $100 million.
