Mississippi’s legal sports betting market reported wagering handle quintupling in September as a new NFL season drew throngs of punters to the casinos’ betting windows.

Figures released Monday by the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) show the state’s licensed commercial casino operators generated sports betting turnover of just under $31.8m in September, up from a mere $6.3m in the month of August, the first month of legal wagering in the state.

Mississippi sportsbooks reported winning $5.3m from the state’s bettors versus just $645k that the books kept in August. The books reported a statewide hold of 17.3%, a borderline obscene figure when compared to August’s already respectable 10.3% hold.

Nearly $23m of September’s sports betting handle was wagered on football, up from just $1.3m in August. Slightly over $4.5m was spent on parlay cards, more than tripling August’s $1.4m, while baseball generated handle of $3.75m, only around $450k higher than August’s total. Adding insult to injury, baseball’s win rate was in negative territory for the month.