They don't call it The Empire State for nothing.
New York's betting handle rocketed to record highs in the last month for both the sports betting and casino industries.
August 2025 saw a record-breaking $2.04 billion in wagers, marking the first time the state's handle surpassed the $2 billion mark since May.
According to the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), this figure represents an increase of almost 42% year-over-year and a nearly 46% improvement from July's $1.4 billion.
New York Casino Revenues Up Year-Over-Year
What's most notable is the performance of the casino industry last month. It saw big growth among the battle for three downstate casino licenses. There are 8 project developers vying for just three licenses.
And while all of that is going on, New York's casino gaming sector experienced substantial growth in August.
The statewide GGR hit $65 million, the highest for 2025 so far, marking a 4.7% increase from the previous year and a 7.3% rise from July.
Slots and electronic table games spearheaded this growth, contributing $47 million in GGR, up 9.5% from August 2024. Traditional table games, despite a 4.2% decrease from last year, generated $16.5 million, the highest for this fiscal year.
Among the four commercial casinos reporting…
- Rivers Casino led with $20.1 million, reflecting a 7.3% year-on-year improvement.
- Del Lago Casino showed significant growth at 9%, bringing in $15.5 million.
- Tioga Downs also saw gains, producing $10.1 million.
- Resorts World Catskills reported a slight decline to $19.4 million.
Three out of four saw gains, and Resorts World losses were minimal. But Resorts World's focus is currently on landing one of the three downstate casino licenses that will be awarded in December. The plan developers have for the space is being called ambitious.
New York Sports Betting Hits Milestone in August
In addition to the booming casino market, gross gaming revenue (GGR) from sports betting climbed to an impressive $178.2 million, reflecting a boost of almost 43% compared to August 2024.
Though this represented a 14.5% increase from July, it still remained the third-lowest monthly total for 2025. The hold rate for the month was recorded at almost 9%. With sports events picking up, the fiscal year-to-date numbers stand at $9.5 billion in sports wagering handle and nearly $982 million in GGR.
Fanatics Sportsbook Experiences Record Handle
FanDuel maintained its lead, generating $66.9 million in revenue from a $561.9 million handle, which translates to a hold of almost 12%.
Meanwhile, DraftKings captured the largest share of wagers with a $579.6 million handle but produced slightly less revenue, amounting to $62.3 million for a 10.75% hold.
Fanatics made headlines in August with a personal best, reporting a record $565.8 million in handle. However, its revenue was a modest $16.1 million, attributed partly to a single bettor who wagered nearly $120 million over a week, impacting the operator's 2.85% hold.
Other operators posted smaller numbers:
- BetMGM reported $13.8 million in revenue.
- Caesars earned $10.7 million.
- Rush Street Interactive posted $4 million.
ESPN Bet and Bally Bet brought in $3.6 million and $839,409, respectively, while Resorts World trailed with $229,357.
With both the sports betting and casino gaming sectors performing robustly, analysts anticipate continued growth for New York's betting market. As the football season kicks off and consumer activity intensifies later in the year, the state's gaming industry appears poised for further expansion.
