Virginia sports betting handle hits record $831.6 million in October

Sportsbook customers in Virginia spent a record $831.6 million wagering in October, while monthly revenue reached its highest total since January.

Handle surpassed the previous all-time high – $761 million in November 2024 – by 9.3%. It was also 19.5% higher than last October’s total spend and 12.8% higher than this September.

Data from the Virginia Lottery revealed $824 million was wagered online during October. A further $7.6 million was spent betting at retail sportsbooks inside land-based casinos across the state.

Turning to adjusted gross revenue, this amounted to $75.3 million for the month. The total was 53.7% more than October 2024 and 16.7% above September’s $64.5 million haul.

Despite spending hitting an all-time high, Virginia was not able to set a new record for revenue. This remains at $86.4 million, reported in November 2024.

For October, $74.6 million of all revenue was generated online and $739,551 at land-based venues. As for statewide hold, this stood at 9.05%.

Monthly tax cleared $11 million in Virginia

Some 14 mobile operators and three casinos were authorised to accept wagers in Virginia in October. Among them were leading brands including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Bet365 and ESPN Bet, which this week rebranded as theScore Bet.

However, the Virginia Lottery does not publish breakdowns for individual operators active in the state. As such, it is not possible to determine which brand led the market in October.

Other data that was made available included $751 million returned to customers for winning bets during the month. The lottery also noted $5.3 million worth of other, undisclosed deductions. No allowable bonuses and promotions were reported during October.

As for tax, the monthly total from sports betting stood at $11.3 million. Of this, $11 million went to the General Fund Allocation and $282,793 the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund Allocation.