The biggest story in college football this season had a knock-on effect in its home state, as the Colorado Department of Revenue reported a 37.9% year-over-year increase in college football handle for August.
College football moved up its season start in recent years to late August, with “Week 0” action lumped together with futures wagering in revenue reports. The arrival of Deion Sanders — “Coach Prime” — to take over a moribund Colorado Buffaloes program provided plenty of intrigue, with a Pro Football Hall of Fame player and still relatively untested coach taking over a Power 5 program and gutting practically the entire roster.
Bettors in the Centennial State took notice, as college football handle was close to $6 million — an increase of $1.6 million compared to August 2022 and more than double the $2.5 million-plus worth of accepted wagers in August 2021. Operator gross revenue — skewed in the house’s favor, as futures wagers are counted as revenue until settled — was up 11.1% year-over-year to $1.9 million, as the hold was 32.2%.
Overall sports wagering handle totaled nearly $306.1 million, up 5.5% from the same month last year, as handle for the 2023 calendar year surpassed $3 billion. Operators reported $25.9 million in gross revenue, a slight uptick from August 2022 despite the 8.5% win rate being nearly half a percentage point lower.