May proved to be another challenging month for Pennsylvanian sportsbooks after PlayPennsylvania estimated that operators lost out on about $275m in potential bets.

While $1.8bn was wagered on online table games and slots during the month, up from $1.4bn in April, operators were still out of the $286.1m that was generated by land-based casinos in May 2019.

“As welcome as the online revenue has been, it can’t come close to replacing what was lost with the shutdown of land-based casinos,” Valerie Cross, analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com, said. “So far early signs are good for Pennsylvania’s land-based casinos, but they are still navigating diminished capacity and uncertain demand as they reopen. For that reason, online casino games and poker will remain critical in bridging revenue gaps as Pennsylvania casinos recover.”

Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks generated £77.5m in wagers in May, a 68.4 per cent increased from April’s $46m handle, according to official data.

“May was another challenging month for Pennsylvania’s gaming industry, but it appears that it will be the last month of online casinos and poker rooms being the only bearer of good news,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com.

“The casinos that have recently reopened appear to be experiencing relatively strong traffic, and sports bettors are finding increasingly more to bet on. Recovery for the entire industry will be a long road, but there are reasons for optimism.”

May’s handle yielded $4.8m in gross revenue, up from $3.2m in April and $1.6m in state taxes.

“A normal menu of sports would likely mean an almost instant recovery for online sportsbooks, though we may still be a few months from that happening,” said Cross. “Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks have been savvy in keeping their customers engaged with sports well outside the mainstream. That will only help when things begin to return to normal.”

FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge Casino has, once again, topped the market with a May handle of $29.6m, up from $19m in April. Those bets generated $3.5m in taxable revenue, up $1.3m whilst DraftKings at The Meadows generated a $21.8m handle, up from £12.6m.

Online casinos and poker rooms set a new record with $55.9m un gross revenue, up 29.7 per cent from $43.1m in April, nearly triple from February’s $19.5m.

Rivers-Philadelphia generated $17.6m in revenues on the online casino market with $641.3m in wagers, up from $13.7m in revenue and $477m in wagers in April.

DraftKing had a strong debut in its online casino under the Penn National license after launching on May 1. The casino generated $9m in revenue on $313.4m in wagers from $4.6m in revenue and $122.2m in wagers in April.

“DraftKings’ online casino is a well-designed product, and bettors obviously reacted positively,” Gouker said. “FanDuel and DraftKings are the dominant players in the state, and their dominance will only grow as their online casinos grow and sports betting returns.”