Virginia sports handle up 24.2% in March

Virginians wagered $635.5m (£508.2m/€593.7m) in sports during March, a rise of 24.2% year-on-year.

The Virginia Lottery‘s monthly wagering report for March presents results from both mobile operators and casino retail venues.

Beginning with mobile operators, gross sports wagering revenue of $629.7m for the month was an increase of 24.2% from March 2023. Gross winnings were up 28.7% to $582.5m.

There was a considerably large decline in allowable bonuses and promotions for mobile operators. In March 2023, this was $3.8m – however, the Virginia Lottery recorded $12,973 for this in March 2024. Operators are only allowed to deduct promotional play for the first 12 months live, so as each platform reaches that mark, the amount of promotional deductions declines.

After considering other deductions of $5.1m, adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for mobile operators was $41.9m.

Virginia state law requires a 15% tax on sports betting activity, which is based on the AGR of each licence holder. AGR is defined as the total wagers minus total winnings and other permitted deductions.

Retail sportsbooks also see yearly improvements

Turning to retail sports gaming revenue here was $5.9m, a rise of 29.2% yearly. Gross winnings grew 34.7% to $5.3m. Retail sportsbooks recorded $0 in allowable bonuses and promotions.

Following other deductions of $63,163 – an upturn of 40.2% – the AGR for retail sportsbooks was $479,376. This was one of the only declines reported year-on-year, falling by 12%.

The total gross winnings for March was $587.8m, a 28.8% improvement on March 2023. Other deductions for the month hit $5.2m, while AGR totalled at $42.4m – down by 10.9% yearly.

A total of 15 operators are licensed in Virginia, along with 22 suppliers. Thirteen of these operators had net positive AGR in March, resulting in tax payments of $6.2m.

State law mandates that 97.5% of the state tax on sports betting AGR is directed to Virginia’s General Fund. The remaining 2.5% goes to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund. For March, $6m went to the General Fund and $156,227 was allocated to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund.

In February, the Virginia Lottery reported $545.1m in sports betting handle – around $90m less than in March, but a 25.6% increase from February 2023. Of the total, mobile betting contributed $540m, while retail locations made up the remaining $4.9m.