Sports-betting sales-tax revenue rose 382% from 2021 to 2025, Census says

Rob Seiden, with the U.S. Census Bureau, said the bureau’s quarterly survey of state and local tax revenue shows a sharp increase in sports-betting sales-tax receipts between 2021 and 2025. "Over the past 4 years, many states have eased their restrictions on gambling, contributing to an explosion of sports betting sales tax revenue," Seiden said.

According to Seiden, quarterly sales-tax revenue from sports betting "has increased 382% to $917,000,000" over that period. He identified the Census quarterly survey as the data source for the figures and directed listeners to the bureau’s America Counts story on census.gov for more detail and the underlying data.

Seiden also noted a seasonal pattern: "Sports betting is a growing industry with revenue typically higher in the winter," he said. The Census official did not provide a state-by-state breakdown, attribution of the revenue to particular taxes, or whether the $917,000,000 figure reflects a single quarter’s aggregate national total or an averaged/aggregated series; those specifics are available in the Census data release, he said.

The Census Bureau’s published America Counts piece and the associated quarterly survey are the primary sources Seiden cited. For readers seeking full tables and methodology, Seiden directed them to census.gov and the America Counts story linked there.