New York sports betting handle rises 5% to more than $2.4bn in September

Sports bettors in New York risked more than $2.4bn in September, the New York State Gaming Commission reported, a 5% increase on September 2025 and a rise of nearly $114m in wagers. The state's 2026 sports betting volume through September is 3.7% higher than a year earlier, with bettors staking roughly $697m more than in the same period of 2025.

Over the first six months of the state's 2026/2027 fiscal year, which began in April, handle reached nearly $12.6bn, a 6.9% increase on the same period in 2025. Sportsbook revenue over those six months fell 5.8% to $1.1bn, as hold eased from 10% to 8.8%.

The legal gaming industry contends that federally regulated prediction markets are pulling business away from state-regulated sportsbooks, reducing the volume handled by the nine operators listed in New York's revenue figures. Prediction market operators deny being gambling providers, saying their users trade against one another rather than against the house.

According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), prediction markets are depriving states of substantial tax income. Its website carries a running ticker putting the projected loss of state gaming tax revenue at close to $1.6 billion, counted from when prediction markets started offering what the group calls back-door sports betting in late 2025. In the AGA's view, that leaves states with less to spend on schools, hospitals, infrastructure and other local funding initiatives.

Of the 39 states where sports gambling is legal, New York ranks first by betting volume, and its licensed operators include Bally Bet, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, theScore, Fanatics, FanDuel and Resorts World Bet. Illinois, which ranks second, took $9.3 billion in online handle on professional and college sports through August 2026, up 5.7% from $8.8 billion in 2025. New Jersey has moved the other way, with handle through September falling 4.1%, from $8.6 billion to $8.3 billion.