March sports betting numbers for Pennsylvania showed a solid increase from a lackluster February and proved once again that the NCAA Basketball Tournament is a big wagering event.

Pennsylvania registered a total sports betting handle of $560.3 million in March, a 9.97% increase over last month’s $509.5 million, and it was up 326.6% from March 2020 ($131.3 million). For comparison, Pennsylvania topped $600 million ($615.3 million) in total sports betting handle in January, the record for the state.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that the combined total revenue generated from all forms of gaming during March 2021 was $403.1 million. This was the first time the combined revenue topped $400 million for a single month, according to the news release. The previous high was October 2020 when revenue was $320.2 million.

The state posted gross revenue from sports wagering of $29.4 million, a 79.3% increase over $16.4 million from a month earlier, according to the figures released by the state gaming board. March’s gross revenue was up 326.1% from March 2020 ($6.9 million). Total revenue this March was $41 million, a 23.5% increase over February's $33.2 million.

State taxes paid in March from sports wagering amounted to $1.1 million (a 10% increase over February's $1 million).

March mobile numbers continue to be impressive, at $514.3 million, an increase of 9.5% over February’s $469.7 million and up 334.7% from March 2020 ($118.3 million). Mobile continues to be dominant in the state with a 91.8% of the total sports wagering handle, on par with last month’s 92.2%.

Pennsylvania Sports Betting, March vs. February

Other Key Numbers in PA
For online casino gaming, interactive slots revenue was $66.4 million, an increase of 31.3% over the $50.6 million from February. The interactive slots handle was $1.75 billion in March, up from a handle of $1.32 billion the previous month.

Interactive banked table games produced gross revenue of $28.9 million, a 16.9% increase over last month’s $24.7 million. March interactive banking tables handle was $1.514 billion, down 5.3% from February ($1.598 billion).

Online poker saw the lone operator, Mount Airy/PokerStars, collect $2.4 million in rake and tournament fees in March. That was a slight decrease from February’s $2.5 million.

A Closer Look at the Sportsbooks

The sportsbooks in Pennsylvania, almost across the board, saw increases in total handle thanks to March Madness.

Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia, just outside of Philadelphia, continued to lead the way in total handle among sportsbooks. The FanDuel sportsbook posted $205.9 million in March, a 14.5% increase over February’s $179.2 million.

The Meadows near Pittsburgh had $118.4 million in handle in March, up slightly from the $113.2 million it posted in February. It is partnered with DraftKings.

Hollywood Casino/Barstool Sports’ handle of $65.2 million was down slightly ($2 million) in March, but taxable gross revenue rebounded after a loss of about $873,000 in February. It posted a gross revenue of $3.7 million in March after it offered $3 million less in promotional credits during the month. According to the state’s figures, Hollywood’s promotional credits for online sports wagering in March came to about $2.85 million, after the bookmaker spent $5.8 million in February.

The Rivers casinos in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with BetRivers online sportsbooks, combined for about $55 million in total sports handle for March. That’s up about $7 million total from February.

This article is a reprint from Gambling.com. To view the original story and comment, click here.