Arizona’s sports betting arena closed the year on a winning streak, with December gross revenue hitting a record $66.1 million, indicating a robust growth of 22.1% from the $54.4 million reported the previous year and soaring 62.4% above November’s figures.
A closer look at the numbers reveals that a lion’s share of this revenue—$65.2 million—originated from the flourishing online betting segment. Meanwhile, retail sportsbooks contributed a modest $625,986, and limited event wagering (LEW) operators added a further $240,604 to the month’s revenue.
These figures were the outcome of an impressive $693.3 million in total bets placed by enthusiasts during the festive period. This marked a 21.1% increase over the same time in the prior year but did not surpass November’s record-busting $713.6 million in wagers. The breakdown of betting modes showed that online platforms dominated with $685.1 million in bets, while retail sportsbooks and LEW operators saw $6.4 million and $1.8 million, respectively.
Promotional strategies played a significant role in the December betting surge. Operators doled out $17.8 million in free bets and promotional credits, the bulk of which—unsurprisingly—were dispensed by online betting services.
After accounting for these promotional activities, the adjusted gross sports betting revenue stood at a record $48.3 million for December—a remarkable gain of 30.3% over the previous year and a whopping 139.4% increase from November.
Diving into these adjusted revenue numbers, online betting emerged as the indisputable titan, raking in $47.5 million, whereas retail sportsbooks claimed $621,286 of the pie. LEW operators modestly contributed an additional $240,604.
Tax revenue generated from sports betting for the state of Arizona also saw an uptick, with December alone bringing in $4.8 million. This sum included $4.7 million from online betting, $49,703 from retail betting, and $19,248 from LEW.
In the heat of the stiff competition amongst operators, FanDuel outstripped others to dominate the online market in December, boasting an adjusted revenue of $23.7 million from total wagers of $236.3 million. DraftKings and Crown Gaming followed, notching $13.8 million from bets totaling $228.5 million, with BetMGM trailing behind, generating $6.1 million from an $82.7 million betting handle.
Retail betting, with only two operators in the fray, saw DraftKings and Crown Gaming at the forefront, earning an adjusted revenue of $361,037 from a total of $2.7 million in bets placed. FanDuel, the other contender in this space, reported an adjusted revenue of $260,248 drawn from $2.1 million in wagers.
Turf Paradise led the LEW operators with $106,248 in revenue, generated from $822,412 in total bets.
December’s report comes amid recent news of Bet365 launching online sports betting operations in Arizona, in alliance with the Ak-Chin Indian Community. With this expansion, Bet365 now caters to pre-event and in-game betting across a spectrum of sports, in addition to offering features like same game parlay, cash out, and edit bet options for the Grand Canyon State’s punters. Importantly, this extension means that Bet365 strengthens its presence in the US, establishing itself across nine states including Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa, Colorado, and Indiana.
In sum, December was a windfall month for Arizona’s sports betting ecosystem, revealing an appetite for online wagering and setting up expectations for what could be another prosperous year in this emerging market.
