Montana sports betting handle up 7% Y-o-Y, operators return to positive GGR after disappointing October

Montana sports betting handle rose by more than 7% year-over-year in November, according to the Montana Lottery's latest monthly report. However, while handle increased by 7.25% from November 2023, amounting to $7.4 million, the figure was down by 2.1% from September 2024.

The lottery also provided insights into how Montana bettors spent their money over the month. NFL and college football took a bigger portion of the handle, accounting for more than 65% of all bets in November, up from 57% in the same month last year.

In contrast, basketball wagers saw their overall portion of handle decline in November, dropping year-over-year from 34% in 2023 to about 20% this year, a total of $1.5 million.

The Montana Lottery also reported a year-over-year increase in gross gaming revenue. Nearly $1.6 million in GGR was collected this November, up a whopping 122% from the same month in 2023.

The positive GGR figures for most sports in November mark a sharp contrast with October, a month in which Montana lost nearly $27,000 in statewide revenues. Sportsbooks posted GGR losses in football, baseball, and MMA that month, bringing the overall total down.

The disappointing October numbers were, however, in line with many other U.S. states, such as Wyoming and South Dakota, which delivered high sports betting handles for their own standards but lower-than-expected revenues during the month owing to bettor-friendly results.

The month-on-month revenue rise for November was thus a remarkable 6,016.3% increase. While football collected the most GGR, hitting over $940,000, MMA experienced the most significant month-on-month change, jumping by over 2,700%.