New York sports betting handle hits $2.4bn in September
The New York State Gaming Commission reported record monthly handle even as the gambling industry warns that federally regulated prediction markets are diverting wagering volume.
New York's sportsbooks took in more than $2.4 billion in bets during September, according to figures published by the New York State Gaming Commission and reported by Casino.org News.
That total marks a 5% rise on September 2025, an increase of nearly $114 million in handle for the month.
Across the year to date, handle in New York is up 3.7%, with bettors staking roughly $697 million more than over the same period in 2025.
The state's 2026–27 fiscal year, which began in April, has shown an even sharper rise. Handle over the first six months reached nearly $12.6 billion, a 6.9% increase on the equivalent period a year earlier.
That growth in volume has not translated into higher operator profits. Bettors fared better over the six-month stretch, pushing the average hold down from 10% to 8.8% and dragging sportsbook gross revenues 5.8% lower, to $1.1 billion.
Nine operators report figures to the state, among them Bally Bet, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, BetRivers, theScore and Resorts World Bet.
The results arrive amid a running dispute between regulated sportsbooks and federally regulated prediction market platforms. Industry representatives argue that sports trading on these platforms is pulling volume away from the licensed operators that appear in state revenue reports.
Prediction market operators reject that characterisation, saying their users trade against one another rather than against a bookmaker.
The American Gaming Association has taken the sharper line, describing the platforms as offering illegal sports betting outside state and tribal regulatory structures. The AGA said prediction markets "override voter decisions, bypass key consumer protections, ignore state and tribal laws, and avoid licensing and taxes."
A ticker on the AGA's website estimates projected lost state gaming tax revenue approaching $1.6 billion since prediction markets began offering what the association calls back-door sports betting in late 2025. The AGA argues that this shortfall reduces funding available for schools, hospitals and infrastructure, stating bluntly: "Prediction markets contribute nothing."
New York's continued handle growth, even as prediction market trading volume rises nationally, offers a counterpoint to that argument. Casino.org News noted that the state remains the largest legal sports betting market among the 39 states with regulated wagering.
The national picture is mixed. Illinois, the country's second-largest sports betting state, saw its online handle for pro and college wagering climb 5.7% through August 2026, rising to $9.3 billion from $8.8 billion a year earlier.
New Jersey has moved in the opposite direction, with handle down 4.1% through September, falling from $8.6 billion to $8.3 billion year over year.