The Colorado Department of Revenue has released its latest monthly sports betting revenue report showing that the state’s sportsbooks bounced back from a disappointing July to accept more than $211.9 million in wagers during the month of August.
The latest figures reveal a 16.9% increase in sports betting activity from July’s handle of $181.3 million—the only month of 2021 where local gamblers wagered less than $200 million on sports.
Baseball continues as the most popular sport at Colorado sportsbooks as the MLB regular season winds down with fans gearing up for the post season and the World Series scheduled for the end of October. Wagers on baseball amounted to $69.6 million, up from the $61.7 million placed on the sport in the previous month.
Early betting on the NFL’s first round of games saw sportsbooks accept $13.6 million in wagers on pro football. This was only marginally more than tennis as the US Open saw Colorado gamblers place $13.5 million on the sport.
Soccer and basketball attracted wagers totaling $11.4 million and $10.6 million respectively while table tennis once again attracted over $8 million in wagers.
Despite the fact that the Ryder Cup took place in September, Golf only attracted wagers of $3.3 million for the month of August.
Retail sports betting amounted to $3.6 million for the month making up just 1.7% of the total bets placed at the state’s sportsbooks. Meanwhile online operators reported accepting an impressive $208.2 million in wagers. This was almost $30 million more than in the previous month.
Players’ winning for the month of August totaled $196.7 million with $193.3 million paid out through mobile sportsbooks. Retail winnings amounted to $3.4 million for the month.
Gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the month of August totaled $15.2 million down slightly from the previous month’s GGR or $15.6 million. This resulted in net sports betting receipts of just over $7 million for the month — $2.6 million less than in August. As a result, state taxes amounted to $726,365.67 for the month.
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.