The Louisiana Gaming Control Board reported a record $37.2 million in sports wagering operator gross revenue for December as the house shook off Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale’s big November payday and restored the edge over bettors.
In November, the Houston-based furniture magnate claimed $58.7 million in Louisiana of his record $75 million in winning Houston Astros World Series futures bets placed nationally. Caesars Sports, Barstool Sportsbook, and WynnBET all made payouts that contributed to the worst single-month revenue total for a state in post-PASPA history, at minus $25.3 million.
That was quickly forgotten last month by operators, who rode football and parlay wins to more than cancel out November’s loss. The December revenue marked the fourth time Louisiana sportsbooks topped $30 million in a month, and it eclipsed the $32.3 million standard set in September.
The adjusted revenue the state was eligible to levy taxes on was also a record, finishing less than $40,000 shy of $37 million. Promotional spend was light to close the year at less than $270,000, with more than $21.7 million of the $25.4 million outlay for 2022 coming in the first two months of the year when mobile wagering launched.