Massachusetts June Sports Betting Bolstered by Celtics Championship Run

• The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported $509.35 million in sports betting handle for June
• The commonwealth took in $184.5 million more in handle compared with June 2023
• The Boston Celtics run to an NBA championship in June likely helped bolster those numbers

Massachusetts should thank the Boston Celtics for a successful month of sports betting in June.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported $509.35 million in sports betting handle for June, more than $184.5 million than the June 2023 handle total of $324.8 million.

The Boston Celtics likely stoked the higher interest in sports betting this month, as the franchise won its 18th NBA championship in June.

Celtics Run Bolsters June Sports Betting Figures

The commonwealth reported a June sports betting handle total of $509,356,529, with more than $500.7 million coming from online sports betting. The June 2024 sports betting handle total was 56.8% greater than the June 2023 total of $324,834,497.

Perhaps the main difference between this year and last? The 2023 Boston Celtics fell to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 30, 2023, decreasing interest in the NBA playoff markets for Massachusetts users as they moved into June.

This year the Celtics cruised into the NBA Finals in June and won their 18th NBA championship, easily dispatching the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Their run was likely backed by thousands of Massachusetts sports betting users through the month.

The state collected $8,235,269 in sports betting tax revenue for the month, compared with $6,316,605 in June 2023.

DraftKings Continues Massachusetts Success

Hometown DraftKings continued its successful run in the commonwealth, reporting $263,661,417 in online sports betting handle for the month. FanDuel, the second highest operator in the state, reported $141,443,513 in online handle.

While DraftKings dominated in the handle category, the total taxable gaming revenues for both operators were far closer. DraftKings reported $19,348,848 in taxable gaming revenue compared with FanDuel’s $16,507,872.

Caesars Sportsbook had a rough month in the Bay State, reporting $19.63 million in online sports betting handle, but a loss of -$16,587 in taxable gaming revenue. It reported just $30,050 in accrual win for the month for a hold rate of 0.15%.

Here are the online sports betting totals for the month of June:

• BetMGM: $34,029,494 in online sports betting handle, $2,326,189 in taxable gaming revenue
• Caesars Sportsbook: $19,630,686 in online sports betting handle, -$16,587 in taxable gaming revenue
• DraftKings: $263,661,417 in online sports betting handle, $19,348,848 in taxable gaming revenue
• ESPN BET: $21,791,329 in online sports betting handle, $1,192,051 in taxable gaming revenue
• Fanatics Betting and Gaming: $20,158,923 in online sports betting handle, $1,691,459 in taxable gaming revenue
• FanDuel: $141,443,513  in online sports betting handle, $16,507,872 in taxable gaming revenue