New York sportsbooks accepted about $595 million in wagers during the first seven days of the NFL season, setting the state’s record for an opening week. The total, for the week ending Sept. 13, was also the sixth-largest weekly handle since New York launched regulated online betting in January 2022.
The figure was nearly 13% higher than the prior season’s NFL opening week, according to New York State Gaming Commission data first reported by ABC7NY. Yet sportsbook net winnings fell 44% to about $17 million, leaving operators with a collective hold of 2.9%, or less than three cents of each dollar wagered.
The low hold was the third-lowest recorded in a New York NFL regular-season week since mobile wagering began. Only the weeks ending Oct. 20, 2024, when hold was 1.9%, and Dec. 18, 2022, when it was 2.7%, were lower.
Opening Sunday favoured customers. Eight NFL favourites covered the spread, nine of 13 games went over their posted totals, and popular touchdown-scorer prop bets paid out. Joey Feazel, Caesars Sportsbook’s lead football trader, told ESPN that “favorites, overs, and touchdown-scorers combined to create a bettor-friendly trifecta on opening Sunday.”
FanDuel processed the largest share of the week’s bets, taking $224.5 million in wagers and generating $8.3 million in gross revenue on a 3.7% hold. DraftKings followed with $216.7 million in handle, its first full week of 2026 above $200 million, but retained 2.2% for $4.7 million in revenue. Fanatics took more than $60 million in bets but held just 1.1%.
A New York state report found that more than $91.2 billion had been wagered through New York mobile sportsbooks from their January 2022 launch through the end of state fiscal year 2026.
