Arizona sees $572M in sports betting handle for December, 4th highest total since launch

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) has released its latest sports gaming report, which shows bettors in the state wagered over $572 million in December 2022, representing a 14.7% handle increase in a year-over-year comparison. 

Jackie Johnson, Director of ADG, said that December 2022 was “another strong month” with over $73 million more wagered when compared to the same month in 2021. “This caps off a stellar first full calendar year of sports betting for the state, with over $6 billion wagered throughout 2022," he added.

While handle was down 7.3% from November’s $616.9 million, it was still the fourth-highest total in 16 months of wagering in Arizona, and the fourth straight month operators accepted more than half a billion dollars in bets.

Gross revenue totaled more than $54.4 million after operator losses and federal excise taxes were included, resulting in a 9.5% hold. The $55.6 million after payouts was within $450,000 of the all-time high of $56 million set in November. 

The state was eligible to levy taxes on $37.3 million of that total, with the 8% levy on retail revenue and 10% tax on adjusted gross revenue generating an inflow of $3.7 million to state coffers.

Sports wagering generated $28.9 million in tax receipts in the first full year of wagering in Arizona, while operators totaled $473.1 million in revenue prior to losses and federal excise tax.

In Arizona, DraftKings held the top spot when it came to handle for 2022 among mobile operators. It finished less than $53 million shy of the $2 billion handle for the year. 

For its part, FanDuel placed first for operator revenue at $180.4 million for the total year. BetMGM’s $11.6 million in gross revenue for December was an all-time monthly high and nudged its final number over $108.3 million, nearly $3.2 million better than DraftKings.