DraftKings saw a "rush of online betting" for the start of the NFL season, where total bets in a single day equaled 10% of the "number of bets placed over the previous five weeks," according to Laila Kearney of REUTERS. Since "launching its online sportsbook" in New Jersey on Aug. 1, DraftKings took 38 days to "reach one million sports bets." During Sunday's NFL Week 1 games, "more than 100,000 bets were placed through the sportsbook." Over the weekend, 51% of DraftKings sports-betting customers "placed bets" versus roughly 35% for most days in August. DraftKings co-Founder CRO Matthew Kalish said that about 90% of DraftKings wagerers have "returned to bet again." SugarHouse Online Sportsbook, which has "accepted online bets" in New Jersey for less than three weeks, saw wagering volume "roughly double during the first weekend of the NFL season versus the prior weekend." Meanwhile, Mississippi has "only approved sports betting at brick and mortar casinos." But Beau Rivage sportsbook manager Will Hall said that his casino "took in 2,000 more bets on Sunday compared with the day before" (REUTERS, 9/12).
JERSEY SOAR: The AP's Wayne Parry noted in New Jersey, gamblers "plunked down" more than $95M on sporting events in August, which helped Atlantic City's casinos to "one of their biggest monthly revenue increases in three decades." The $95.6M wagered in August was "more than twice as much as the amount bet in July." The state's sports betting "market is soaring." Nearly $74M was "wagered at on-site betting windows," and $21.7M was "bet on sports via online or mobile phone apps" (AP, 9/12).
