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Any way you look at it, September was a good month for Colorado sports betting.
The Centennial State’s retail and online sportsbooks tallied $512,792,794 in handle (total amount bet) in September, a 67.5% increase over August and a 13.9% rise compared to September 2022.
NFL, NCAA football betting dominate September’s handle and revenue
The start of the NFL and NCAA football season provided a significant boost to Colorado’s sports betting handle. The two sports combined for more than $215 million in non-parlay bets placed, a total that accounted for more than 44% of all money gambled.
For comparison’s sake, the combined football handle in August was just over $25 million. Additionally, non-parlay bets on NFL games accounted for more than 28% of the overall revenue figures for the month.
Overall, Colorado sportsbooks generated $45,276,266 in revenue, according to September data from the Colorado Division of Gaming.
| Sport/Bet Type | Handle | Payouts | Gross Revenue | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro football | $157,447,231 | $144,598,276 | $12,848,955 | 28.38% |
| Baseball | $78,236,134 | $73,972,690 | $4,263,444 | 9.42% |
| NCAA football | $69,512,128 | $69,512,128 | $31,704 | 0.07% |
| Tennis | $30,470,400 | $27,826,429 | $2,643,971 | 5.84% |
| Basketball | $23,813,926 | $22,686,429 | $1,127,497 | 2.49% |
| Soccer | $19,958,877 | $18,736,443 | $1,222,434 | 2.70% |
| Table tennis | $12,516,711 | $11,493,842 | $1,022,869 | 2.26% |
| MMA | $4,218,410 | $3,823,116 | $395,294 | 0.87% |
| Golf | $2,383,848 | $1,499,580 | $884,268 | 1.95% |
| Ice hockey | $1,543,768 | $1,401,578 | $142,190 | 0.31% |
| Parlays/combo bets | $99,371,893 | $80,456,122 | $18,915,771 | 41.78% |
| Other | $13,319,468 | $11,541,599 | $1,777,869 | 3.93% |
| Total | $512,792,794 | $467,516,528 | $45,276,266 | $ |
Black Hawk is Colorado’s gambling capital
Colorado’s three gambling towns—Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek—won more than $32,488,912 million combined in post-deduction sportsbook revenue in September.
Black Hawk generated the most revenue between its retail and online sportsbooks at $24,692,897, followed by Cripple Creek and Central City.
| Casino/City | Retail | Internet | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk | $861,900 | $23,830,997 | $24,692,897 |
| Central City | N/A | $186,651.72 | $186,651.7 |
| Cripple Creek | $4,038.78 | $7,605,328.23 | $7,609,367.01 |
| Total | $865,939 | $31,622,977 | $32,488,916 |
Year-on-year sports betting numbers keep looking up
July’s revenue figures and August’s sports revenue were good ones for Colorado because, in both months, sports betting handle was up year-on-year.
That trend continued in September:
| Month | Handle | 2023 Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 2023 | $512,792,794 | N/A |
| Sept. 2022 | $450,232,597 | 13.90% |
| Sept. 2021 | $408,314,625 | 25.59% |
| Sept. 2020 | $207,655,943 | 146.94% |
September 2023 proved to be the best September on record in Colorado, up 13.9% over September 2022 and more than 25% higher than September 2021.
