Mississippi and New Hampshire Not Left Out on October Sports Betting Binge

Both Mississippi and New Hampshire set staggering sports betting records in October.

A lot has already been made about the incredible success of the US legal sports betting industry for the month of October. Most major jurisdictions that have reported their October figures so far have identified enormous spikes in their overall month-to-month sports betting activity. Five full weeks of NFL and college football action, combined with the start of the NBA and NHL seasons in October took states' sportsbooks to new levels in October with the promise of more to come.

But it isn't just the major markets like New Jersey, Michigan, and Indiana that have enjoyed major increases. Some smaller betting states like Mississippi and New Hampshire joined in on the major sportsbook surge. Each has set a new bar with respect to their legal sports betting scenes. Each is hoping that activity will continue to rise throughout the rest of 2021 at least.

Mississippi

It was a good October for Mississippi's 26 licensed casinos. The state was able to set new records with respect to their sports betting handle and the revenues generated off the platform. Their impressive numbers are tempered by the fact that the state has yet to legalize and launch a more effective and lucrative mobile sports wagering platform.

Mississippi's legal sports betting handle from its in-person-only platform for October came in at $83.52 million, a staggering 52.3% spike from the already impressive September sports betting haul of $54.84 million. Year-over-year, that increase is reported at 36.4% — from $61.2 million in October 2020 to $83.52 million last month.

Revenues for Mississippi's retail-only sports betting industry also set a monthly record. Sportsbooks in the state made $9.15 million in October, a small but still noteworthy 3.4% month-to-month rise. Revenues in October, like the overall handle, represented a record-high for Mississippi.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is another smaller jurisdiction like Mississippi to nearly hit the milestone $100 million mark for a single month of sports betting. It is extra impressive considering just one sportsbook operates in the state. DraftKings is the sole sports betting provider in New Hampshire and offers mobile as well as three retail wagering facilities.

The state is reporting a record $98.19 million legal sports betting handle for October, easily beating the old record of $68.1 million from September by 44.1%. The $98.19 million also represents an enormous 108.7% year-over-year spike from $47.05 million in October 2020. The DraftKings mobile app was responsible for the bulk of the New Hampshire handle, contributing $68.12 million to the $98.19 million overall.

$5.4 million in gross revenues was reported from the New Hampshire scene, up 22.4% from the $4.42 million from September and 28.7% from October 2020. $5.4 million eclipsed the previous GGR record of $4.77 million from November 2020.

Thanks to DraftKings giving the state 51% of sports betting revenue, $2.56 million in tax revenue was collected for New Hampshire state and local tax coffers, also a record.

November and Beyond

Legal sports betting numbers across the country are expected to remain strong. However, it could be tough to beat the numbers from October. After all, there are few months on the calendar that boast five full weeks of NFL and college football action and the start of two major North American leagues.

But with citizens across the US clearly getting more and more comfortable with the legal sports betting platforms in their states, with more competition coming to market seemingly every day and with the start of college basketball’s season tipping off in November, there is a growing sense that October’s sports betting figures will be topped sooner rather than later.

All eyes will be on November’s numbers to see if the incredible legal sports betting momentum can continue.

SEE ALSO: Massachusetts Continues to Miss Boat on Legal Sports Betting