

FanDuel Maintains Iron Grip On Virginia Among Mobile Sportsbooks
FanDuel was again the runaway marketplace leader among sports betting apps in Virginia for May according to figures from a fulfilled Freedom of Information Act request by the Virginia Lottery.
Operators in the Old Dominion had their highest hold of the year in May at 11.9%, the 12th time in the last 15 months it reached double figures. Gross revenue finished just shy of $60 million, with the $505.6 million handle the eighth consecutive month it exceeded one-half billion dollars.
The fourth year of sports betting in Virginia has seen notable year-over-year growth, with gross sports betting revenue up 22.9% and handle 26.8% higher. There is a chance all-time handle could reach $20 billion by year’s end. The state has collected $38.8 million in taxes through the first five months of the year, up $8.3 million from the same span in 2023.
About the only thing FanDuel failed to do in Virginia in May was extend its streak of $200 million monthly handles, coming $708,000 short. But the digital dynamo had a year-best 14.6% hold that resulted in $29.1 million in gross revenue.
FanDuel, which did clear $1 billion for 2024 handle, has a 12.4% win rate through the first five months of the year. It also moved within $3.5 million of $750 million in all-time winnings.
DraftKings notched its fourth double-digit hold in the last nine months, landing at 10.3% as it collected $14.7 million in winnings from $143.9 million worth of wagers. May’s handle was enough to push it over $4 billion overall, while the 9.3% hold this year is 1.3 percentage points higher than its overall mark.
BetMGM was a comfortable third for revenue and handle, though the $52.6 million in accepted bets was the first time handle was below $60 million since last August. It narrowly missed a 10% hold for May in posting a $5.2 million haul.
The top of the second tier of mobile operators in Virginia this year has turned into a two-book tussle between Caesars and bet365, and the England-based outfit has been the better performer of the two when it comes to revenue.
Bet365 has posted a 12% or higher hold for six consecutive months, reaching a year-best 14.2% in May to claim $4.2 million in gross winnings from $29.8 million in handle. It was the second-highest monthly haul for bet365 behind the $5.3 million posted in its first full month in February 2023. Bet365 also hurdled $50 million in all-time revenue in 17-plus months of operation.
Caesars slipped behind bet365 for fifth in handle for May, but the difference in operator performance against the public between the two has been stark. Caesars’ 8.6% hold in May was its best since last July, while the $2.4 million in revenue marked its top month since March 2023. Caesars has accepted $17.4 million more in bets compared to bet365 this year, but its $7.9 million in winnings is $11.1 million less.
Bet365’s status inside the top five has ESPN BET on the outside as its handle has steadily declined from January’s high of $38.7 million. The PENN Entertainment book did post its best month for revenue this year at $1.8 million on the strength of a 9.8% win rate against $18.5 million in handle. ESPN BET has a 5.5% hold through the first five months of the year, ranking sixth among the eighth mobile apps that have generated at least $40 million handle this year.
Both Betway and SuperBook are on their way out of the U.S. mobile marketplace, with Betway owner Super Group opting to focus on internet casino gaming in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. SuperBook surprisingly announced Friday it was shuttering its mobile operations outside Nevada, and Virginia was among eight states it conducted business.
Betway absorbed its worst monthly loss in Virginia in May as the public came out $88,843 ahead on $1.2 million in handle. It was the fourth losing month since entering the state in May 2022 for Betway, which had losses totaling $53,565 combined in the other three months it finished in the red.
SuperBook’s exit comes barely nine months after entering the state last October. It was still able to deduct promotional bonuses and credits against gross revenue — its $95,600 in credits equaled 42.7% of its $223,600 in winnings.
It never failed to gain any traction in the Virginia mobile betting space, as its $3 million in accepted wagers in the first five months of 2024 accounted for barely more than 0.1% of the commonwealth’s online handle.