Tennessee April Betting Handle Grows from Last Year but Slips from March

ennessee saw a solid jump in its sports betting handle compared to April last year, though the total fell short of what was recorded in March. The latest figures were shared by the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council, which tracks all legal betting activity in the state.

Good to know

• Gross handle for April reached $463.6 million, up 21.7% from last year.
• Tennessee remains the only state taxing based on handle, at a rate of 1.85%.
• Online sports betting is the only legal form of wagering in the state.

The gross betting handle in April reached $463.6 million, rising sharply from the $380.9 million reported in the same month last year. When adjustments of $3 million are factored in, the full figure rises to $466.5 million — a 21.4% year-on-year increase.

Despite that growth, the April total still marked a 15.5% drop from March’s handle, which came in at $548.6 million.

The state does not report betting revenue or individual operator performance, but it did confirm that privilege tax collections reached $8.6 million for the month.

Tax structure remains unique

Tennessee stands out in the U.S. sports betting market by taxing operators based on handle instead of revenue. Since July 2023, all licensed sportsbooks pay 1.85% of their total betting handle as tax.

There are currently 11 platforms offering online sports betting across the state. These include major names such as FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, ESPN Bet, Fanatics, and Caesars, along with Bally Bet, Hard Rock Bet, Betly, ZenSports, and Tennessee Action 24/7.

No retail sportsbooks allowed

Tennessee’s sports betting market is entirely digital. The state legalised sports betting in April 2019, but online sportsbooks did not begin operations until November 2020. Lawmakers chose not to legalise retail betting, making Tennessee one of the few states with an online-only model.