New York smashes NFL opening week betting record
New York gamblers wagered almost $595 million during the opening week of the NFL season, setting a new state record despite an unusually profitable week for punters.
Licensed New York sportsbooks accepted approximately $594.6 million in wagers during the first seven days of NFL action.
That was around 13% higher than the corresponding opening week in 2025 and the largest NFL opening-week handle since regulated online sports betting launched in New York in January 2022.
But record turnover did not translate into record profits for betting sites.
Sportsbooks generated only around $17 million in gross gaming revenue from the wagers, representing a hold of approximately 2.9%.
Revenue was around 44% lower than during last season’s opening week despite significantly more money being bet.
A combination of winning favourites, high-scoring games and successful touchdown-scorer bets produced an unusually strong result for customers.
The record is particularly noteworthy amid questions over whether prediction markets are beginning to divert US sports wagering away from state-licensed bookmakers.
Kalshi reportedly processed approximately $702 million in NFL event contracts during opening week, up more than 200% from last season.
The American Gaming Association expects approximately $29.5 billion to be legally wagered through regulated US sportsbooks during the 2026 NFL season, almost unchanged from $29.4 billion last year.
New York remains the largest regulated sports betting market in the United States and imposes a 51% tax on online sportsbook gross gaming revenue.
