Fall's sports overload is gambling's golden season
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The sports equinox, a day when games across the four major sports — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — are scheduled, marks the start of the busiest season of the year for gambling.
Why it matters: Casinos are cashing in as more states legalize sports betting.
State of play: Legal Sports Report data shows that bettors across the U.S. wagered a record $16.25 billion in November 2024 — the biggest month yet for legal sports betting.
- Casinos also took in their highest-ever revenue that month — $1.73 billion, a figure they haven't matched so far in 2025 (as of August).
- The sports equinox fell on Oct. 28 last year.
What they're saying: "The zenith for any sports fan, and for us, is late October and early November, when everything is starting or ending," Lamarr Mitchell, director of trading for MGM Resorts, tells Axios.
- "Staff takes [time] off in the summertime because they know it's going to be a lot busier in the fall."
BetMGM tells Axios it saw a 50.2% increase in tickets and a 33.7% increase in handle from the 2023 sports equinox to 2024's sports equinox.
- The casino platform gets 15% more tickets on the sports equinox than on a normal day.
By the numbers: The NFL (38.1%) had the highest percentage of bets placed, despite only having one game on the schedule.
- The league was followed by the NBA (36.2%), MLB (13.8%) and NHL (11.9%), according to BetMGM.
What we're watching: Legal Sports Report projects casinos will reach $17.5 billion in handle and $1.7 billion in revenue this November.
