The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported $42.3 million in gross sports betting revenue for June on Monday as sportsbooks weathered the summer punch of the Boston Celtics winning the NBA title.
Operator winnings were up 28.1% from last year, notably lagging behind the 53.4% surge in handle to $509.4 million. The Celtics’ run to their 18th title undoubtedly played a role in that, though the MGC does not break out handle and revenue by sport-specific categories. Heavily favored to win the title, Boston needed only five games to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
Handle was down 13.3% from May’s $587.3 million, while gross revenue declined 28.4%. The overall 8.3% hold was 1.7 percentage points lower than May and 1.6 percentage points lower than last June. While Massachusetts was the lowest of the 12 states to report June figures, it is still nearly 20% above the 7% industry standard.