Since the rise of the rise of regulated sports betting in the United States, American operators have been operating in a Gold Rush environment. Nearly every month brings news that one regulated market or another have not just broken, but shattered, their monthly revenue or handle record. Now, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), the entire industry is enjoying the fruits of sports betting with a record amount of revenue for Q1 2022.
According to the AGA, US operators took in a staggering $14.1 billion in the first three months of 2022. That’s good enough to be the most lucrative Q1 since the AGA started tracking such things and is just shy of the all-time record of $14.3 billion, which was set back in Q4 2021.
AGA President and CEO Bill Miller commented on the stellar situation saying, “Consumers continue to seek out gaming’s entertainment options in record numbers. Q1’s strong results build on the industry’s record year in 2021 despite continued headwinds from supply chain constraints, labor shortages, and the impact of soaring inflation.”
And, as if to prove that momentum is really on its side, US operators took in $5 billion during the month of March, which puts them very much on track to break the all-time quarterly record in Q2.
You don’t have to be an industry insider to know that regulated sports betting is fueling much of this growth and Miller acknowledges as much saying, “Four years post-PASPA, legal sports betting’s success is proving what we’ve known all along: American consumers are eager to wager within the protections of the regulated market. It also reinforces the need to stamp out offshore, illegal operators who prey on vulnerable customers.”
While it’s unclear when, or if, the US gaming business will come back to earth but, for now, American gaming is enjoying land rush business with no clear end in sight.