Sports betting is now legal in 38 states plus the District of Columbia, with states raking in $8.4 billion in tax revenue since the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could legalize sports betting.
With sports betting companies now handling nearly $150 billion in wagers annually, states are eyeing new taxes.
In June, Illinois imposed a per bet tax, 25-cents on the first 20 million bets and a 50-cents on wagers after that. In response, FanDuel responded with a 50-cent surcharge on all wagers and DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG) has signaled it may follow suit. Analysts suggest the new tax could eat into earnings for sports betting companies, but if the Illinois tax proves successful in adding to its coffers other states may follow suit with their own. Similar taxes are under consideration in New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Read on for a breakdown of sports betting tax revenue by state and where gamblers are wagering the most.
Sports betting tax revenue by state
Sports betting tax revenue by state
New York has accumulated the most tax revenue from sports betting, some $3 billion since June 2019.
Sportsbooks have also generated the most revenue from gamblers in New York, $5.9 billion since legalization.
New Jersey has the largest disparity between sportsbook revenue and state tax revenue. The Garden State has collected just $617 million off of $4.8 billion in gross sportsbook revenue since June 2018, when sports betting was legalized.
South Dakota has generated the least revenue from sports gambling, just $293,823. That’s because sports betting can only occur at seven casinos in the state, those in Deadwood and at tribal casinos, significantly limiting opportunities to gamble.
Investing in sports betting companies
Cashing in on the sports betting boom
Sports betting is now a mainstay, with ads in legal states hard to miss and odds being discussed on sports media every day. North Carolina is the latest state to legalize sports betting, with sportsbooks going live in March 2024.
The value of sports betting handle -- the amount of money gambled -- grew from $4.6 billion in 2018 to $149 billion in 2024, an astonishing rate that reflects America’s interest in wagering on sports.
Competition for revenue from those wagers is fierce between longtime gambling stalwarts, such as MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM) and Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR), and relative newcomers focused on sports betting, such as DraftKings, and FanDuel, which is owned by Flutter Entertainment (LON:FLTR) (OTCMKTS:PDYP.Y).
Revenue from sports betting, however, is just a fraction of what’s wagered. In 2024, companies managed to pull in 8.7% of the $149 billion wagered, or roughly $13 billion.
That equation hasn’t changed significantly since 2018, when sports betting revenue was 7.2% of what was wagered that year. While sports betting companies are making more based on the growing amount wagered, they have somewhat struggled to grow their revenue as a percentage of the handle.
If you’re looking to invest in the industry, The Motley Fool has seven ideas to get you started investing in sports betting stocks. With sports betting legal in more than half the states in the U.S., it’s an industry many are willing to wager on.
Sources
- Sportshandle.com (2025). “Legal US Sports Betting Revenue, Handle And Tax Totals Since PASPA Repeal.”
- State tax and gaming agencies.
