Oregon Online Sports Betting Sees Big Jump in September

Thank god for the NFL.

The premier sports league in the United States kicked off its 101st season in September, bringing with it a more than 40% boost in online sports betting handle in Oregon compared to August, according to the Oregon Lottery’s monthly sports betting activity report.

September marked only the second time since sports betting launched in May that handle exceeded $25 million.

Breaking down the numbers: Registrations, handle, and gross gaming revenue jump

The start of the NFL season was a huge draw for the state’s online sports bettors. According to the lottery’s report, the number of new registrations rose more than 300%, from 928 in August to 3,208 in September.

In fact, the number of registrations was at least 1,500 higher than any other month this year. Because of that, the state had more bettors participate in sports betting than any other month, too.

The lottery saw its handle increase from $17.69 million in August to $25.07 million, representing a 41.75% increase. The jump in handle was yet another record for the state’s new sports betting industry.

Past months have generated more handle than September, but this was the first time handle increased month-on-month since sports betting launched.

As for gross gaming revenue (GGR), September brought a boost to the lottery’s coffers. The state’s GGR was $1.26 million, which was more than a $200,000 increase over August.

Other data of note:

• The average bet amount dropped from $38.61 in August to $32.80 in September
• The lottery’s margin dropped from 6.01% in August to 5.02% in September

Football, baseball betting lead the way in sport-by-sport handle

The significance of the start of the NFL season is best expressed in the increase in handle between August and September: $1.05 million to a staggering $9.70 million, which was higher than any other sport.

The increase in handle proved efficient for the lottery’s margin, too. It cleared a 5.55% margin. Of the six sports that brought in at least $1 million in bets, only tennis and soccer had a higher margin.

Baseball bets accounted for the second-highest handle in September, totaling $6.78 million. The total represented a more than 10% drop month-on-month. The remaining sports that pulled in at least $1 million in bets in September:

• Soccer
• Tennis
• Basketball
• Table Tennis

Big September a preview of things to come?

As the NFL season moves along, it’s likely that the Oregon Lottery will see an increase in football handle. The roughly $8 million increase in football bets from August to September may not be matched in October, but it’s likely that the lottery will see another jump.

The start of the NBA season will no doubt bring a big boost to Oregon online sports betting, too. While the historical data for NBA betting in Oregon is thin, it’s likely that handle will eclipse $5-$6 million.