PGA Tour Betting Handle Climbs as Live Wagering Coverage Expands

The PGA Tour has experienced another successful year in terms of wagering, with more people betting on professional golf, and the PGA Tour continuously expanding its betting-focused products and relevant partnerships, wagering volumes for the organizer rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2025.

The Tour reported that total betting handle for professional golf across digital platforms, retail sportsbooks, and casinos increased 20% year-over-year. PGA has become an increasingly popular choice at the best sports betting sites. The rise also marked the fourth straight year of double-digit growth and coincided with expanded sportsbook affiliations, including DraftKings, and broader distribution of PGA Tour Live Betcast on the ESPN App. 

Growth accelerated during the FedEx Cup Playoffs last August. Betting handle across the St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship, and Tour Championship increased 50% compared with 2024. 

Wagering on the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta more than doubled year over year, representing the strongest single-event gain reported by the Tour. Officials linked the playoff surge to higher in-play betting volume and increased late-season engagement.

PGA Tour Fantasy Golf also recorded gains during the season. The updated fantasy platform showed a 21% increase in weekly players and a 23% rise in first-time participants. The fantasy schedule ran from the Sony Open through the Tour Championship. Winners of each of the 32 FedEx Cup events received two tickets to the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah.

The Tour also produced betting-adjacent content tied to live events. On Feb. 3, it held Showdown at 16 at TPC Scottsdale, a closest-to-the-pin competition involving eight golf content creators. The event took place two days before the WM Phoenix Open and was filmed for later release. 

The winner received a $50,000 charitable donation from DraftKings, with video distribution planned across the PGA Tour and DraftKings' digital channels.

PGA TOUR LIVE Betcast doubles event slate

Those gains in wagering and fantasy engagement pushed the Tour to expand betting-focused broadcasts in 2026, moving beyond one-off content and into full-day, live wagering coverage across marquee events. The PGA Tour and ESPN have extended live betting coverage for the 2026 season through an enlarged PGA Tour Live Betcast schedule presented by DraftKings.

The Betcast aired on ESPN+ during 12 PGA Tour events, doubling the six-event slate from 2025. Coverage began with the WM Phoenix Open from today to 8 at TPC Scottsdale. Each event featured more than eight hours of daily programming across four rounds, airing alongside ESPN's main feed, featured group, and featured hole streams on the ESPN App.

Across the season, PGA Tour Live Betcast delivered more than 400 total streaming hours, compared with 50 hours during its debut year. Programming centered on live betting analysis, in-play wagering markets, tournament previews, and betting-specific storylines such as outright winners and head-to-head matchups.