World Series boosted sports wagering in Arizona to $646 million
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ surprise run to the World Series may have boosted sports gambling in Arizona in October, making it one of the busiest months on record since sports betting began in September 2021.
According to data released Wednesday by the Arizona Department of Gaming, bettors in Arizona placed $646.41 million worth of bets in retail sportsbooks and on betting apps in October, $37.15 million more than what was placed in September.
October was the month with the most sports wagering in Arizona so far in 2023, and the busiest month since March 2022.
Of the money wagered in October, $589.63 million was won back, meaning bettors lost a total of $56.78 million. That means about 9% of what was wagered was kept by sportsbooks.
However, that percentage of gambling losses did not reflect bettors losing more because of their optimism for the Diamondbacks and was consistent with the percentage kept by sportsbooks in September, which was about 10%, according to state data.
For wagers placed from January 2023 to October 2023, the most recent data available, sportsbooks kept about 9% of the total amount of bets placed, meaning about 91% of the value of all bets placed in those 10 months was won back by gamblers.
September, when $609.26 million was wagered, saw a major jump in sports betting activity over August, when bettors placed $358.03 million worth of bets. The jump in September coincides with the first week of the NFL season and the beginning of the college football season for most schools, as well as the last month in the regular season for the Diamondbacks.
Along with the World Series in Phoenix, the NBA season also began in late October.
The lion’s share of sports betting in Arizona is done on mobile apps. In October, about 1% of the money wagered on sports was done in a retail sportsbook location.
However, the Diamondbacks’ success did translate into success for their gaming partner, Caesars’ retail sportsbook. In October, $1.58 million was wagered at the retail location outside Chase Field, a 75% increase from the $906,000 wagered at the location in September.
When discussing the effects of the World Series in October, Dan Shapiro, chief development officer for Caesars Digital, said the location saw record-breaking days for business during the MLB postseason, with boosts in both food sales and betting at the Caesars Sportsbook, which is also home to Guy Fieri's DTPHX Kitchen + Bar.
