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On the heels of a record-breaking October in which sports betting handle passed $1 million for the first time, South Dakota sportsbooks had another solid month as they posted $967,994 in handle (total amount bet).
Last month’s handle was the second-highest total this year and up more than $100,000 over November 2022.
A look at South Dakota’s November sports betting
Professional and college football drove the state’s handle numbers this past month, accounting for more nearly 75% of what was gambled in the state:
- NFL: $414,744.94
- NCAA football: $293,823.06
- All other sports: $259,425.68
Year-on-year comparison
Here’s how bets looked on a sport-by-sport basis compared with November 2022:
| Sport | November 2023 Handle | November 2022 Handle |
|---|---|---|
| Boxing | $40.00 | $58.00 |
| CFL | $300.00 | $0 |
| Formula 1 | $180.00 | $118.10 |
| MLB | $3,499.75 | $12,318.08 |
| MMA/UFC | $12,382.40 | $13,367.55 |
| NASCAR | $654.00 | $535.00 |
| NBA | $69,776.92 | $44,974.09 |
| NCAA FB | $293,823.06 | $267,613.69 |
| NCAA men's BB | $122,608.24 | $142,621.36 |
| NFL | $414,744.94 | $337,421.90 |
| NHL | $36,166.84 | $23,906.26 |
| PGA | $3,176.00 | $280.00 |
| Soccer | $2,350.83 | $15,535.52 |
| Tennis | $8,290.70 | $2,910.35 |
| Total | $967,993.68 | $861,659.90 |
Year-on-year, the handle was up 12.34%. The state saw its biggest gains in NFL betting, where handle increased by around $75,000.
College football was up around $26,000 annually, but men’s college basketball bets were down around $20,000.
Month-on-month sports betting comparison
Compared to October, South Dakota sports betting revenue was down 5.3%, dropping from an all-time high of $1,021,660.02 to $967,993.68.
Though November’s total handle wasn’t quite as high as October’s, there were some promising signs. The state’s total non-NFL handle was higher in November than it was in October.
Men’s college basketball, NBA, and NHL betting helped drive that trend, accounting for around a $185,000 increase in November over the sports’ total wagers the previous month.
South Dakota’s total casino revenue stumbled in November
The drop in sports betting handle that South Dakota sportsbooks saw was part of a larger casino revenue trend.
In November, combined handle from slot machines, table games, and sports betting hit $121.0 million. That figure was $11.4 million lower than October’s total handle of $132.4 million.
According to data released by the South Dakota Department of Revenue, the total amount gambled was down for slot machines by around $190 million. And this past month’s table game handle dipped around $2.2 million compared to October.
