Casino Numbers Down, Sports Betting Up in Connecticut Jan. Report
@loumonaco
In just its third month of reporting Connecticut iGaming mobile sports wagering numbers, the Nutmeg State is holding its own with a population of only 3.5 million.
Connecticut is one of a few states with real money online casinos, along with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and Michigan.
Here are three takeaways from January numbers released by the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection on Wednesday:
ONLINE CASINO HANDLE FALLS SHORT OF $800 MILLION
The online casino handle started the new year on a slightly down note at $780,053,027, which is 4.3% less than the $814,862,528 posted in December. However, total taxable gaming revenue for Connecticut casinos was $18,833,534, a solid increase of 15.3% from $16.3 million in December.
Our Connecticut online casino guide can be found here.
The January state revenue share also put up a significant number of $3,390,037, an increase of 15.3% from $2.94 million in December.
You can get tips for playing online poker and other casino games at TopUSCasinos.com.
Connecticut first reported its casino numbers in November.
SPORTS BETTING HANDLE AGAIN ABOVE $150 MILLION
Connecticut sports betting numbers started the new year with increases all across the board.
The sports betting handle for January was $158,092,481, up 5.3% from December’s $150,073,755. The mobile sports betting handle had a bump to $149,352,612, up 4% from $143.57 million in December.
Connecticut Sports Betting, January vs. December
| Total handle | Mobile handle | Revenue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | $158.092M | $149.353M | $8.309M |
| December | $150.074M | $143.570M | $6.759M |
| Change | Up 5.3% | Up 4.0% | Up 34.4% |
Retail sports betting in a legal, regulated market began in the state Sept. 30, with online casino and sports betting launching Oct. 19.
The state’s retail sports betting handle was a whopping $8,739,869, up 34.4% from $6.5 million in December.
The total taxable gaming revenue for January was $8,309,167, with $7.48 million derived from online wagering ($825,369 from retail). That was a solid increase of 22.9% from December’s $6.758 million ($6.36 million online, $396,051 retail). The state revenue share posted at $1,142,510, up 22.9% from December’s $929,336.
NEW YORK HERE, BUT CONNECTICUT HANGING TOUGH
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that close to $2 billion dollars in wagers were taken during the first 30 days of operation in the state. Clearly, New York has taken the reins as king of sports betting in the tri-state metropolitan area since its debut Jan. 8.
New York had a total mobile sports wagering handle of $1.98 billion from Jan. 8-Feb. 6, with total Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) at $138.5 million and taxes to the state at $70.6 million.
Previously, New Jersey, with a handle of $1.303 billion in October 2021, held the title for total mobile sports wagering in a single month.
None of that matters.
Despite analysis saying Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were all going to suffer significant drops when New York finally went live, all those states seem to be doing rather well (New Jersey and Pennsylvania January numbers will be released this week). Connecticut’s proof is here in the numbers.
We do know this: It will be a battle for the consumer betting dollar between all the neighbors of the Empire State for months and years to come.
Contributors
Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.
