Press Releases
PlayPennsylvania.com: Sportsbooks fall short of record-setting pace in November
Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks produced their second-best monthly handle ever and set a new revenue mark in November. But November’s results still missed the state’s record set in October, a surprising result considering neighboring New Jersey catapulted to an all-jurisdiction record in the same month, according to PlayPennsylvania analysts.
“So much has worked in favor of Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks this fall, but a lack of NBA, NHL, and college basketball games, along with the struggles of Penn State, an Eagles bye week, and a Steelers game postponed to December, conspired to slow bettors in November,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst at PlayPennsylvania.com. “With record revenue and the second-best handle in state history, it was still a great month for the industry. And I suspect that Pennsylvania will be back to setting record handles again in December.”
Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks reached $491.9 million in November, according to official data released Thursday. November’s wagers were up 35.7% from $316.5 million in November 2019 but fell short of the $525.8 million record set in October.
Operator revenue before adjustments was particularly strong, reaching a record $48.5 million in November despite taking in less in wagers. That topped the former record of $47.8 million set in October and was up 235.8% from $17.5 million in November 2019. November revenue yielded $12.7 million in state taxes and another $747,005 in local share assessments.
Only New Jersey, which shattered the all-jurisdiction record with $931 million in November wagers, and Nevada have ever posted a more lucrative month. But the gap between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the nation’s largest market, widened in November after the Garden State accepted $931.6 million in wagers
“November’s results show that each state is different in what are unprecedented times, and the relatively high win rate by sportsbooks may have dissuaded some bettors,” said Valerie Cross, analyst at PlayPennsylvania.com. “Ultimately, though, record revenues are particularly important for the industry and for the state, which is relying on online gaming revenue more than ever.”
Online betting accounted for 91%, or $447.4 million, of the state’s handle in November, which is up from 89.8% in October. FanDuel Sportsbook/Valley Forge Casino remained the market leader with $176.7 million in online bets, down 2.3% from $181 million wagered in October. Those bets produced $15.1 million in taxable revenue, up from $14.7 million in October.
DraftKings/The Meadows was in its familiar second position in November, producing $109.9 million in bets, down from $121 million in October. That yielded $6.9 million in taxable revenue. The race for second tightened slightly with Penn National’s Barstool-branded app. In just its second full month since launching, Barstool/Hollywood Casino generated $55.7 million in bets, down from $61 million, which yielded $3.5 million in taxable revenue.
“The Barstool app has been successful in shaking up the market, becoming the first online operator to legitimately challenge the stranglehold that FanDuel and DraftKings have had on Pennsylvania’s market,” Gouker said. “What the Penn National/Barstool partnership has done has not only altered the Keystone State, but it has served notice in other jurisdictions that it is indeed a force to be reckoned with.”
The leaders were followed by:
- BetRivers/Rivers-Pittsburgh (28.1 million handle, up from $26.1 million; $975,843 revenue, down from $1.5 million)
- Fox Bet/Mount Airy ($28.1 million handle, down from $28.2 million; $1.6 million, up from $1.1 million)
- Parx Casino ($19.4 million handle, down from $21.7 million; $2.1 million revenue, even with October)
- PlaySugarHouse/Rivers-Philadelphia ($19.4 million handle, down from $21.4 million; $917,164 in revenue, down from $1.5 million)
- Unibet/Mohegan Sun Pocono ($8.2 million handle, down from $9.9 million; $194,793 revenue, up from $101,458)
- Caesars/Harrah’s ($1.1 million handle, even with October; $58,141 revenue, down from $66,241)
- BetAmerica/Presque Isle Downs ($957,165 handle, up from $912,236; $8,632 revenue, down from $15,076)
Retail sportsbooks, which have since been shut down, hit $44.5 million in bets in November, down from $53.5 million in October. Sportsbooks won $6.2 million on those bets, down from $6.3 million. The top retail sportsbook was Parx Casino with $9.2 million in bets.
Online casinos and poker
Online casinos and poker rooms continued their hot streak, narrowly hitting another high in November with $59.77 million in gross operator revenue, or $2 million per day, over the 30 days of November. That was up from the record $59.76 million, or $1.9 million per day, produced over the 31 days of October.
State and local governments were a big winner, too, receiving $16.2 million in state taxes from online casino and poker revenue and another $3.2 million in local share assessments from November’s revenue.
“Online casinos have become one of Pennsylvania’s most reliable revenue streams,” Cross said. “As winter takes hold and retail casinos closed, the best months for online casinos are almost assuredly yet to come.”
Highlights from November:
- Online table games and slots generated $57.4 million in revenue on $2.3 billion in bets, which is up from $2.2 billion in bets in October.
- Rivers-Philadelphia, which includes PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers casinos, topped the online casino market with $16.6 million in revenue, even with October, on $602.8 million in wagers, which was up from $590.5 million in wagers.
- Penn National, which includes the DraftKings casino, hit $15.7 million in revenue on a market-leading $675 million in wagers, up from $15.5 million in revenue and $664.6 million in wagers in October.
- Mount Airy/PokerStars, the lone poker operator in the state, generated poker revenue of $2.4 million, even with October.
About the PlayUSA.com Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states, PlayUSA.com and its state-focused branches produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online gaming options for consumers. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliations to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.
Breaking New Ground in Brazil: Blitzcrown’s Crash Games Now GLI Certified
Blitzcrown, MVG’s pioneering games studio, has secured Brazilian Certification as well as GLI-19 Certification from GLI(Gaming Laboratories International) for its industry-changing three Crash titles. This landmark achievement marks a significant milestone in the company’s expansion into Brazil’s thriving online gaming market, positioning Blitzcrown at the forefront of the region’s rapidly evolving iGaming landscape.
The license comes at an important time for Brazil’s gaming sector, following the launch of the new licensing regime that started on January 1, 2025. The regulatory framework, signed into law in December 2023, has transformed the industry’s prospects.
The certification encompasses 3 innovative crash games: Crash, Fast Crash, and Twin Crash. This strategic milestone establishes Blitzcrown as the premier provider of certified Crash games in the Brazilian market, demonstrating the company’s unwavering commitment to regulatory excellence and gaming integrity. With the GLI-19 and Brazil certification process successfully concluded in March, Blitzcrown has solidified its position as an industry pioneer in this dynamic and emerging market.
Crash games are a recent addition to the global iGaming market, featuring the dynamic evolution of real-time multipliers and immediate reward structures. Blitzcrown has stood out by establishing groundbreaking game mechanisms that offer different and exciting gameplay experiences. Standard Crash provides players with a standard multiplier-based gaming experience, and Fast Crash is optimized for users seeking quick, intense multiplier experiences. The Twin Crash is an original format allowing players to place simultaneous bets on two separate multipliers.
Building on this momentum, Blitzcrown has announced plans to expand its certified portfolio with two additional versions of its innovative Plinko games, demonstrating the company’s strategic commitment to market expansion. This forward-looking initiative underscores Blitzcrown’s dedication to continuous innovation and sustainable growth in the regulated gaming markets.
Blitzcrown is MVG’s edge-game studio focused on pushing game ideas beyond their norms through innovative and non-traditional gaming experiences. The studio has been particularly recognized for its groundbreaking approaches in various game categories, including its successful Crash and Plinko series.
George Cho from MVG said: “This GLI certification testifies to Blitzcrown’s unwavering commitment to offering top-quality, fair gaming systems. We are well placed to take advantage of Brazil’s exciting new regulatory environment and the vast growth potential of the online gaming industry.”
Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, is set for its latest appearance at BiS SiGMA Americas in São Paulo, Brazil, from April 7-10, 2025. The company will be based at Stand M30, where it will not only showcase its LatAm innovations but also celebrate its 32nd birthday.
This major milestone brings an extra layer of excitement to Belatra’s time in Brazil. iGaming professionals visiting the stand will enjoy an immersive experience inspired by the studio’s popular classics Make it Gold and Mummyland Treasures. Belatra’s stand includes a smoky bar for a mysterious touch, a prize-filled game for visitors, and a live Mummy roaming the event floor to bring the experience to life.
Belatra’s extensive portfolio of award-winning titles brings together timeless hits with powerful, innovative themes, providing unforgettable entertainment for players.
With a strong foothold in LatAm, Belatra’s regional team, based in Buenos Aires, and Belatra’s global team will be in São Paulo to explore new collaborations and showcase its localised approach to the market.
Andrés Troelsen, Belatra Games’ Commercial Director for Latin America, said: “Our Latin American presence grows ever stronger with the region forming a major part of our growth strategy. We’re happy to be back in São Paulo for BiS SiGMA Americas to connect with partners and explore new opportunities. This year is extra special as we celebrate our 32nd birthday, so come raise a glass with us at our smoky bar!”
New certification for emerging-markets leader arrives ahead of key industry summit in Sao Paulo and awards recognition
QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has had its platform and games successfully approved for the Peruvian market, demonstrating that its premier B2B platform and all-encompassing content conforms to the latest legislative updates to enhance and regulate Peru’s local gaming environment.
Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism (MINCETUR) has now issued an online gaming licence to QTech Games, whereby all its platform products and games are now deemed legally permitted. This includes its new software service for retail, QTech Hybrid, which allows land-based partners to scale their operations online. QTech Hybrid simplifies transactions by enabling deposits, withdrawals and gameplay while allowing access to players both in-shop and on personal devices.
This breakthrough hybrid solution has quickly won clients and awards in the comparably fragmented African market (most recently in March for Best Innovation at AGE Lagos), and now promises to do likewise across LatAm, where QTech Games has already signed several major clients for both its aggregation platform and its QTech Hybrid solution. This activity has seen it again nominated for Best Aggregator at the SiGMA Americas Awards, which kickstart the SiGMA Americas summit (7-10 April) next week, as the igaming world converges on Sao Paulo for a must-attend conference in another of QTech Games’ “focus markets” for 2025.
Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “It’s fantastic to have certified our aggregation platform in Peru via MINCETUR – and I’m pleased to say we have more such approvals pending across the continent. We attended fantastic events in Rio and, more recently, SAGSE 2025 in Buenos Aires – and anticipate more of the same at SiGMA Americas in Sao Paulo next week, where we’re also thrilled to have been shortlisted for Best Aggregator at their LatAm Awards. Given the venue, Brazil will be dominating the discussion for many at SiGMA Sao Paulo. However, we’ll also be looking beyond Brazilian borders this year, and are already active in Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay. We know our QTech Hybrid solution will work very well wherever we put a pin on the LatAm map.”
QTech Games delegates will be present at five more LatAm summits in 2025, with SiGMA Americas (7 April) the next port of call – followed by GAT Expo Cartagena (28 April), SBC Americas (13 May), Peru Gaming Show (18 June) and GAT Expo Mexico (28 Aug).
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