New York’s US-leading sports betting market managed to show significant growth even during the “dead season” for professional sports.

According to the New York State Gaming Commission's July revenue report, retail and online sportsbooks combined to produce $155.9 million in gross gaming revenue during July. That was a significant 10.7% year-over-year improvement, even without the NFL, NBA, or college football in session.

Sportsbooks’ 11.1% hold during July also cemented the state’s first three-month streak of double-digit win rates since the market launched in January 2022.

Can’t stop, won’t stop

The Big Apple lived up to its name during July, as gamblers wagered a total of $1.4 billion, 11.1% more than they did during the same period a year ago when they risked $1.3 billion.

The handle was still the lowest reported by the state since August 2024, although that was to be expected during the down period of the sports calendar. Handle and revenue totals are expected to increase significantly when the NFL and college football resume in September.

On top of the positive growth in handle, New York received $79.4 million in contributions based on its 51% tax rate on sportsbooks’ revenue. That’s roughly 10% more than what was generated in July 2024.

Additionally, New York sports betting has also generated nearly $736 million in taxes since the start of the year, $147.2 million more than it did during the same period a year ago.

The $155.9 million in revenue was a YoY improvement, but it was still 24.5% less than the $206.5 million that was generated in June. Notably, the NBA Finals ran through June 22.

The revenue total was bolstered by the high hold rate, which is commonplace during the summer months. Officials will inevitably have their eyes fixed on the hold percentage now that Q3 is in progress, and more popular sports will soon return.

New York legislators have also discussed proposals that would add reforms to the market, such as limiting television advertisements and adding deposit and wagering limits for customers. Those proposals have not resulted in anything material as of yet.

FanDuel leads but cedes ground

Unsurprisingly, FanDuel paced all New York sports betting operators during July with $61.4 million in revenue, a 3.5% YoY increase. That resulted in the market leader eclipsing $3 billion in total winnings since it opened in the state.

That said, FanDuel’s $476.9 million handle only represented 34% of the state market, which was the operator’s lowest since its initial launch.

DraftKings took in a larger handle than FanDuel in July, totaling $509.4 million in wagers, an 11.5% year-over-year increase and the company’s 12th straight month with a handle above half a billion dollars. Its revenue was only $52.5 million based on a 10.3% hold rate, whereas FanDuel had an impressive 12.8% hold.

Fanatics sportsbook, still a newcomer compared to established companies such as BetMGM and Caesars, was third in July with a $137.7 million handle and $13.9 million revenue total. That represented a whopping 80.8% YoY growth in accepted wagers.

BetMGM was off the podium with a $98.1 million handle and $10 million in revenue. Caesars was a sliver behind with a handle of $97.9 million and revenue reaching $9.7 million. BetMGM’s year-to-date revenue is up 66.4% YoY.

ESPN Bet accepted $37.1 million in wagers, leading to $3.9 million in revenue based on the sportsbook’s first double-digit hold rate since its New York launch.

BetRivers and Bally Bet closed out the market with handles of $35 million and $9.2 million, respectively, and revenues of $3.4 million and $865,910.