Oregon reports 10% uptick in sports betting handle for May
State generates $27.8m in turnover despite monthly decrease in revenue as basketball dominates the betting mix
The Oregon Lottery released its sports betting numbers from May, with the state’s Scoreboard sportsbook taking in a total of $27.8m in bets for the month.
That figure represents a 9.8% increase from the $25.3m in handle generated in April.
Despite the rise in turnover for the sportsbook, which is powered by DraftKings-owned SBTech, revenue was down 11.1% month on month, from $2.7m in April to $2.4m in May.
Looking at the year to date, Oregon has booked $141.7m in sports betting wagers, generating just more than $13m in gross gaming revenue (GGR).
That equates to a 9.18% hold, which is markedly higher than the nationwide average of 7.2%. Part of that is attributable to Oregonians’ propensity for parlay bets.
Parlays made up $6.7m of the state’s handle in May, with a hold of 14.1%, and they have accounted for nearly a quarter of the state’s overall handle in 2021.
In terms of sports, basketball reigned supreme for a third consecutive month, generating $16.2m in handle and $1.5m in GGR. Baseball was the next-most-popular sport ($4.6m in handle), followed by soccer ($2.4m) and hockey ($1.5m).
In-play betting also continues to be a significant driver of wagering activity in Oregon.
In May, in-play handle checked in at $13.9m, while live betting has generated $72.2m in 2021, or just over half of the state’s total turnover. The average stake for an in-play bet is $45.36 year to date, nearly double the $24.71 average pre-match bet.