jili tutorial

New York Sportsbooks Hit Record NFL Opening Week: A Deep Dive into the $595 Million Handle

By jili tutorial · September 21, 2026

New York Sportsbooks Hit Record NFL Opening Week: A Deep Dive into the $595 Million Handle

Overview: A Landmark Start to the NFL Season

The first week of the NFL season is always a pivotal moment for the sports betting industry, and New York has once again proven itself as the nation’s powerhouse market. According to data released by the New York State Gaming Commission and reported by ESPN, Empire State sportsbooks logged a staggering $595 million in total bets during the opening seven days of the 2025 NFL campaign. This figure marks the highest opening-week handle since online sports betting was legalized in New York in January 2022, and it represents a 13% increase over the previous season’s first-week total.

But while the handle soared, the books didn’t come out as big winners. Net sportsbook winnings fell to just $17 million — a 44% decline from the prior year. Bettors, it seems, were the ones celebrating. This article breaks down the numbers, explains what drove the shift, and explores the broader trends reshaping the U.S. sports betting landscape.

What Exactly Is “Handle” and “Net Winnings”?

Before diving deeper, it helps to understand two key terms:

In New York’s case, the handle jumped 13%, but net winnings dropped sharply — a sign that bettors were more successful than usual.

Why Bettors Won Big in Week 1

Favorites Covered, Overs Hit, and Touchdown Scorers Shone

Caesars Sportsbook lead football trader Joey Feazel summarized the weekend perfectly for ESPN:

“Favorites, overs, and touchdown-scorers combined to create a bettor-friendly trifecta on opening Sunday.”

Let’s unpack that:

This combination meant sportsbooks faced an unusually high payout rate, explaining the 44% profit decline despite record betting volume.

There were also fewer upsets than typical opening weeks, which further tilted the odds toward bettors. When the expected outcomes happen, the house edge narrows.

National Context: The $40 Billion U.S. Market

New York’s $595 million is just a slice of a much larger pie. Research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming estimates that $40 billion could be wagered legally with U.S. sportsbooks over the entire NFL season. That’s a massive figure, driven by the continued growth of regulated betting in states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and others.

Chris Grove, partner emeritus at Eilers & Krejcik, commented:

“I would expect betting and trading to be a ubiquitous presence this NFL season as brands battle with billions at stake across the entire U.S. market.”

The competition is fierce. Operators like FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, and BetMGM are spending heavily on marketing, promotions, and technology to capture market share.

The Rising Challenge: Prediction Markets vs. Traditional Sportsbooks

Kalshi’s Explosive Growth in NFL Event Contracts

A new and rapidly growing segment is prediction markets — platforms where users can buy and sell “event contracts” based on outcomes like who will win a game, cover the spread, or score first. These are different from traditional sports betting because they operate under a different regulatory framework and often allow more creative propositions.

According to DefiRate.com, the leading prediction market platform Kalshi accepted $702 million in NFL event contracts during opening week — a stunning 211% gain over the same period last season. This suggests that a significant portion of betting activity is shifting away from traditional sportsbooks toward prediction markets.

FanDuel’s Record Customer Engagement

On the traditional side, FanDuel reported that the Sunday game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants brought in more active customers to its sportsbook than any other regular-season NFL game on a Sunday. This underscores the power of classic rivalries and prime-time slots in driving engagement.

The American Gaming Association Sounds a Caution

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has raised concerns about the flattening of total NFL handle. In its preseason forecast, the AGA projected that the total U.S. handle for the 2026 NFL season wold be around $29.5 billion — barely above the $29.4 billion recorded last season.

The AGA attributes this stagnation partly to the rise of sports event contracts (prediction markets), which siphon bettors away from regulated sportsbooks. While these contracts are legal in certain contexts, they’re not always subject to the same tax and reporting requirements as traditional sports betting, creating an uneven playing field.

What the Experts Are Saying

Despite the AGA’s cautious stance, many analysts remain optimistic. Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, for example, expects the new season to see robust betting activity across all channels. The early New York numbers support that view: a record opening week, driven by both traditional sportsbooks and prediction markets.

The battle between the two models is likely to intensify. Some traditional sportsbooks have already added their own event contracts in parallel to standard wagers, trying to capture both audiences.

Key Takeaways for Bettors and Industry Observers

Conclusion: A Season of High Stakes and Shifting Sands

The 2025 NFL season has started with a bang in New York, setting a new opening-week handle record. But the story goes beyond raw numbers. The combination of bettor-friendly outcomes, the explosive growth of prediction markets, and the uncertain forecast from the AGA paints a complex picture for the months ahead.

Whether you’re a casual bettor, a sharp trader, or an industry analyst, one thing is clear: the battle for the American sports betting dollar is only heating up. And if Week 1 is any indication, both the winners and losers will be decided not just on the field, but in the data rooms of every sportsbook and prediction platform.