Colorado sports wagers rise 61% month over month

The Colorado Division of Gaming released sports betting figures on Friday which show over $207 million were wagered in September, up 61% compared to August.

Baseball led the way with more than $47 million in placed bets, followed by football ($38.6 million), basketball ($37.7 million), and ice hockey ($11.4 million). Table tennis, which dominated betting earlier in the year, rounded out the top five sports at more than $5 million.

The state collected $69,771 in taxes from gaming revenue in September, the division reported.

Colorado’s sports betting industry debuted May 1 amid a global pandemic that halted most professional sports, but it has consistently picked up speed throughout the year, the Denver Post reports.

"Colorado is nowhere near maturity as a market, and yet its gains continue to put it among the top markets in the U.S.," said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayColorado.com. "Interest in the Denver Broncos was bound to help spur interest in the NFL’s first few weeks. But September still managed to outpace what we could have reasonably expected just two months ago."

Although 98% of bets were placed digitally using apps and online platforms in September, residents also have the ability to place bets in person since casinos and retail sportsbooks such as DraftKings’ in Black Hawk opened in recent months.