March Madness helped propel Tennessee to more than $200 million in bets, almost entirely reversing the state’s first month-over-month decline in February. And with two new operators launching in the state, Tennessee’s market took a significant step in its maturation process, according to analysts from PlayTenn, which researches the Tennessee gaming market.
Bettors placed $205.9 million in wagers in March, The Tennessee Education Lottery announced over the weekend. That is up 16.8% from $176.3 million in February, even if it fell short of the record of $211.3 million set during the NFL playoffs-boosted January. March’s wagers produced $16.1 million in adjusted gross income, up 23.8% from $13 million in February and only topped by January’s $21.8 million.
The brisk action in March yielded $3.2 million in state taxes.
With March’s bets, Tennessee sportsbooks have now generated $905.8 million in wagers since November’s launch, falling just shy of becoming the quickest U.S. state to reach $1 billion in lifetime handle.
“Even with the early knockout of Tennessee, the state’s lone representative in this year’s NCAA Tournament, March Madness was still a huge draw,” said Nicole Russo, analyst for PlayTenn.com. “It has been an interesting ride so far in Tennessee, but the foundation of the market remains strong.”
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