The Louisiana Gaming Control Board reported a 13.5% hold on gross sports betting revenue for May as operators collected $34.7 million in winnings, continuing a year-long pounding of bettors.

It was the sixth consecutive month sportsbooks across the Pelican State had a 10% or higher win rate, with the hold on gross revenue a whopping 13% — nearly double the 7% industry standard — through the first five months of 2024. The all-time win rate in Louisiana is 11.6% against close to $6.8 billion in all-time handle.

Wagering via the state’s 18 retail sportsbooks and nine sports betting apps totaled $256.7 million, up 32.6% from last May. Revenue lagged slightly behind with a 17.2% increase as the May 2023 hold was 15.3%. Handle was down 9.3% compared to April’s $283.1 million, and revenue dipped 14% with May’s hold almost 1.3 percentage points lower.

Promotional credits and bonuses totaled $1.2 million, leaving the state eligible to levy taxes on $33.5 million in adjusted gross revenue. That resulted in an inflow of $5.8 million into the state coffers as Louisiana became the 13th state to surpass $100 million in state tax revenue generated from sports betting. The $25.5 million in receipts is nearly $9.6 million more than the first five months of 2023.

The LGCB does not disclose handle and revenue figures for operators, nor does it provide handle for sport-specific categories, but the revenue figures the state agency does provide show the bulk of operator winnings continue to come from parlays and same-game parlays.

Louisiana sportsbooks topped $20 million in parlay winnings for the sixth consecutive month and totaled $22.7 million in May. That accounted for 65.6% of the month’s gross winnings, and the $126.8 million in revenue this year represents 64.5% of the $196.6 million in operator winnings.

The catch-all “other” category, which includes golf, tennis, boxing, mixed martial arts, and motorsports in Louisiana, was an unexpectedly large source of revenue with a record $5.7 million. That was an all-time monthly high, topping the previous best of $4.4 million in September 2022.

Operators claimed $2.6 million in basketball revenue and another $2.3 million from baseball wagers. Retail operators, though, had a tough go of it when it came to soccer as the public came out $156,900 ahead for May.

Overall, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks fashioned a 12.5% hold in winning $2.2 million against $18.4 million in handle, while their mobile counterparts had a 13.6% win rate in collecting $32.4 million in gross revenue from $238.3 million worth of bets placed.