U.S. Sportsbooks Are Likely to Break Their All-Time Hold Record This Summer

The American Gaming Association's (AGA) revenue tracker shows the trajectory moving in that direction. In April 2026 sports betting revenue hit $1.49 billion on a $13.39 billion handle, with national hold climbing to 11.1%, up from 9.3% in April 2025.

The American Gaming Association's (AGA) revenue tracke

That's still shy of the post-PASPA record in June 2025, which saw a 12.4% national hold with roughly $1.3 billion in revenue. ^[1] New York alone posted a 12.5% win rate, breaking its previous high of 11.5% from August and September 2022. ^[2] Twenty-three states cleared 12% that month, and nine topped 14%.

Parlays are the recipe for high margins and aren’t going anywhere

Americans are changing how they bet, and the books couldn’t be happier as they abandon the moneyline for more exotic options. SGPs, which carry a house edge that can run 20% to 35% compared with roughly 4.5% on a standard point-spread wager, have grown from under 20% of total sportsbook revenue in 2021 to an estimated 35-40% today. 

That transition has pushed the average hold from the 6-7% range in 2021 to 9-11% in 2025. Massachusetts' April 2026 report showed FanDuel holding 13.40% and DraftKings 13.12%, as these books are deriving the majority of their handle from parlays. ^[3]

Why summer is the money-printing month

Even though NFL betting dominates national handle by sheer volume, a large share of the volume is dedicated to lower-margin straight bets on spreads and totals, which puts downward pressure on the overall hold. Summer betting is more focused on baseball, where prop-driven and same-game tickets make up a disproportionate share of the smaller handle.

This is what we saw last June, when the pro baseball hold rate jumped to 7.7%, up from 3.9% the year before, while the NBA Finals overlapping with a full MLB schedule gave operators a cross-sport parlay-building window. It's why June set records two years running (11.2% in June 2024, then 12.4% in June 2025).