Roughly 33% Of Station Casinos Sports Bets Are Mobile

I do the majority of my sports betting through either William Hill or Station Casinos mobile apps. I make my wagers anywhere from my couch to sitting at a red light in my car to the sportsbook itself.

I’m connected to a mobile device or computer all day so it’s not too surprising that I’d be so active with my sports betting apps. Mobile sports betting is only a few years old and I didn’t think that it was catching on too quickly. I think that thought can go out the door.

In an interview with Vegas Seven magazine Station Casinos Race & Sportsbook Director, Chuck Esposito, estimates that almost 1/3rd of their handle comes from mobile wagering.

Station Casinos was one of the first to offer mobile wagering within Nevada’s borders with its Sports Connection. How much of a game changer has that been?

It’s been a huge game changer. It’s a phenomenal piece and added a new dimension to what we have to offer. It enables a guest to have the sportsbook in the palm of their hand; they’re able to get on their smartphone exactly what they get when they come into [a sportsbook]. Educated guess, mobile wagering probably makes up roughly 30 to 33 percent of our overall handle. And it’s going to continue to grow. We’ve only scratched the surface of it right now, but there are things coming down the pike that are going to expand that offering industry-wide.

Before reading this I would have guessed that Station Casinos handle from mobile would have been closer to half that number. Station tends to have an older and less sophisticated customer who doesn’t seem to be very mobile-centric.

Looking for a comparison I checked in with William Hill to see how their mobile hold compared. William Hill has a slightly larger hold of 36% from mobile wagering. This isn’t too surprising in hindsight since William Hill is an independent sportsbook operator they have less ties to land-based casinos.

It looks as if mobile sports betting is catching on faster than I thought. These hold numbers are only going to increase as more people get used to mobile wagering. Betting with apps will never take over all sports betting in Nevada since most tourists don’t want to have an account sitting around with funds in between trips but this is a step forward for mobile sports betting.