$9.1 Million Handle in First Full Week in New York for ESPN BET
ESPN BET, the new mobile sportsbook from PENN Entertainment, saw $9.1 million in handle in its first full week in New York, according to the state’s gaming commission.

Struggling to Gain Market Share
While the daily average handle of $1.3 million was up from the first three days, ESPN BET was 7th out of 9 mobile sportsbooks in the state, behind only Bally Bet and Resorts World.
This is similar to what WynnBET experienced before it slowed down operations in March and eventually shut down in July. ESPN BET’s market share for the week was 2.9%, far below the 7% PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden said the sportsbook would have by the end of its first year.
While ESPN BET’s market share was low, the sportsbook had a strong hold rate, leading the group with a 12.7% hold for the week. That translated to $1.1 million in revenue, 6th in the group and ahead of BetRivers.
Other Operators Had a Good Week
DraftKings had its 7th best revenue week in New York with $21.3 million from $182.4 million in handle, 11.7% hold. BetRivers had its 2nd time over $1 million in revenue in the last 19 weeks with an 11.1% hold on $9.4 million in handle.
Caesars had consecutive weeks over $3 million in winnings for the first time since March, 9.3% hold on $32.2 million in handle.
ESPN BET’s first full week in New York shows the uphill battle it has to gain traction in the market. While the strong hold rate is a good sign, the sportsbook needs to improve its market share and customer acquisition to compete with the established operators.
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