- New York’s mobile sportsbooks took a record $2.25 billion in June, up 36.6% from a year earlier.
- Gross revenue fell 43.5% to $117 million as the hold rate hit an all-time low of 5.18%.
- The World Cup and the Knicks’ championship run drove the volume that pushed margins to a record low.
NEW YORK– New York’s mobile sportsbooks accepted a record $2.25 billion in June wagers, up 36.6% from a year earlier. The New York State Gaming Commission reported that the state’s hold rate fell to an all-time low in the same month.
A Record Built On Thin Margins
New York, the largest regulated betting market in the country, took in about $600 million more in June 2026 than the previous year. The volume came at the operators’ expense. Gross gaming revenue fell 43.5% to $117 million, and the combined hold rate dropped to 5.18%, the lowest ever recorded in the state, according to the New York State Gaming Commission. The state’s tax take fell to $59.6 million from $105.3 million a year earlier.
Two events drove the surge. The World Cup opened June 11 across North America, and the New York Knicks pushed deep into a championship run that kept local money in play. Both are high-volume, bettor-friendly events that flood sportsbooks with action and squeeze margins. June produced the thinnest hold on record even as the handle set one. Through the first six months of the year, New York operators combined for $13.3 billion in handle, up 3% from the same stretch of 2025.
That inverts the picture from earlier in the spring, when a high April hold rate led to massive revenue for New York. The World Cup ends with the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium, so July legal sports betting handle reports from New York and New Jersey will carry another month of tournament action before the tally closes.
