In December, Massachusetts broke yet another record for sports betting handle.

 Consumers in the Bay State wagered $788.3 million (£639.3 million/€757.4 million) on sports in December, marking the fourth consecutive month of record handling for the Commonwealth.
 December sports betting in Massachusetts
 The previous monthly record for the state was $777.8 million in November, but the December total is 1.4% higher.  Not only that, it's a 19.7 percent increase over the $658.7 million wagered in Massachusetts in December 2023.

 Online wagers totalled $776.8 million for the month, according to figures from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.  Bets totalling $11.5 million were accepted by retail sportsbooks around the state.

 Taxable gaming revenue fell 5.1% year-on-year to $57.5 million, though.  Not only that, but November's record-breaking $80.5 million haul was 28.6 percent higher.  Following December's industry-wide impact from customer-friendly sports results, the downturn has set in.

 With $57.4 million in December, online betting accounted for nearly all of the revenue.  Retail betting, on the other hand, contributed just $64,037.

 Massachusetts now has a monthly hold rate of 7.29 percent.  Just 0.56% of sales occurred in retail, while 7.39 percent occurred online.

 Even in Massachusetts, DraftKings is far and away the market leader.
 Among online markets catering to individual operators, DraftKings maintains a commanding edge.  With $364.6 million in bets in December, it earned $29.6 million, or 8.12%.

 The nearest competitor, FanDuel, has a 7.78% grip and has generated $18.8 million in revenue on a $241.5 million handle.  With $65.1 million in bets and $4.0 million in income, BetMGM maintained its position as third place with a hold percentage of 6.14%.

 With a 5.33% hold on $46.9 million in handle, Fanatics Sportsbook earned $2.5 million as it expanded its footprint in the state.  ESPN Bet came in second with $1.1 million in revenue, generating a hold of 3.69% on $29.8 million in handle.

 With $24.4 million in wagers, Caesars Sportsbook made $1.0 million, for a hold rate of 4.10%.  With $348,895 in income on $4.5 million in bets, Bally Bet once again completed the online sector with a 7.71% hold.

 The sole retail betting establishment to report a profit was Penn Entertainment's Plainridge Park Casino.  With a $4.3 million transaction, the casino recorded $64,037, or 1.49%.

 Encore Boston Harbour took $6.1 million in in-person bets but didn't pay out a dime. MGM Springfield took $1.1 million in bets but didn't pay out a dime either.  

 Monthly revenue for the casino made a little increase
 Regarding on-site pursuits, in December the Massachusetts gaming authority released statistics on the state's casinos' earnings.

 Slot machines and table games brought in $102.2 million in gross gaming revenue.  This is up 1.3% from the previous month, but it's down 0.9% from a year ago.  The majority, $70.1 million, came from slot machines, while the remaining 32.1 million were from table games.

 Return to  Once again, Boston Harbour was the most lucrative casino in December, bringing in $64.9 million.  Revenue from gaming at Plainridge Park Casino was $14.6 million, while that at MGM Springfield was $22.7 million.

 Online sports betting contributed nearly all of the $11.5 million in tax revenue for the state.  During the month, $29.0 million was collected in casino gaming taxes.