Gambling Dealers
Median $34,320
Occupation · SOC 39-3012
Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners: pay and where the jobs are
What gambling and sports book writers and runners earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$34,980 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $36,450
- Median hourly wage
- $16.82
- Mean hourly wage
- $17.53
- Employment
- 8,950
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-3012.
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How much do gambling and sports book writers and runners make?
The median annual wage for gambling and sports book writers and runners was $34,980 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $22,090 and the highest-paid 10% more than $48,270. As an hourly rate, the median is $16.82. About 8,950 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New York ($54,740), New Jersey ($48,260) and Massachusetts ($47,720). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Wisconsin.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for gambling and sports book writers and runners looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22,090 | $10.62 | $1,841 | $1,650 |
| 25th percentile | $28,150 | $13.54 | $2,346 | $2,066 |
| Median | $34,980 | $16.82 | $2,915 | $2,524 |
| 75th percentile | $44,840 | $21.56 | $3,737 | $3,184 |
| 90th percentile | $48,270 | $23.21 | $4,023 | $3,414 |
Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners: pay by state
30 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$41,133 take-home in national prices
2
$40,342 take-home in national prices
3
$36,253 take-home in national prices
Where a median gambling and sports book writers and runner paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 100 | $54,740 | $37,350 | $97,670 | $43,537 | $40,342 |
| New Jersey | 90 | $48,260 | $35,090 | $57,880 | $39,445 | $36,253 |
| Massachusetts | Not published | $47,720 | $38,860 | $49,340 | $38,138 | $36,061 |
| Wisconsin | 80 | $47,250 | $33,340 | $51,140 | $38,704 | $41,133 |
| California | 1,480 | $44,860 | $36,110 | $50,970 | $36,865 | $33,295 |
| Washington | 220 | $42,180 | $37,210 | $56,760 | $35,487 | $33,161 |
| Ohio | 360 | $38,460 | $29,750 | $73,180 | $32,475 | $35,005 |
| Kentucky | 60 | $37,910 | $24,370 | $52,240 | $31,431 | $34,862 |
| Michigan | Not published | $37,720 | $30,800 | $41,240 | $31,136 | $32,360 |
| Nevada | 1,440 | $37,500 | $27,100 | $46,090 | $32,311 | $32,318 |
| Iowa | 100 | $37,440 | $24,090 | $46,820 | $31,492 | $35,884 |
| Arizona | 260 | $35,640 | $31,280 | $37,000 | $30,319 | $30,116 |
| Minnesota | 350 | $35,370 | $28,920 | $51,410 | $29,370 | $29,781 |
| Maryland | Not published | $35,230 | $31,200 | $36,720 | $29,180 | $27,801 |
| Illinois | 130 | $34,610 | $31,460 | $51,080 | $28,421 | $28,433 |
| Colorado | Not published | $34,450 | $31,010 | $38,110 | $28,902 | $28,046 |
| Connecticut | 70 | $34,420 | $34,010 | $40,210 | $28,815 | $27,811 |
| Florida | Not published | $34,160 | $27,040 | $58,520 | $29,628 | $28,649 |
| South Carolina | 130 | $33,650 | $28,890 | $39,100 | $28,847 | $30,770 |
| Indiana | 90 | $32,730 | $26,740 | $43,540 | $27,543 | $29,511 |
| Kansas | 40 | $31,550 | $22,840 | $48,820 | $26,554 | $29,482 |
| Pennsylvania | 90 | $30,690 | $25,630 | $43,830 | $25,876 | $26,520 |
| Texas | 440 | $30,660 | $22,340 | $57,720 | $26,815 | $27,628 |
| North Dakota | 110 | $30,640 | $23,280 | $41,590 | $26,799 | $30,125 |
| South Dakota | 80 | $30,620 | $29,010 | $36,710 | $26,783 | $30,234 |
| Nebraska | 360 | $29,670 | $28,080 | $36,300 | $25,508 | $28,310 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $28,340 | $18,050 | $36,300 | $24,546 | $28,229 |
| Louisiana | 180 | $26,620 | $15,380 | $30,950 | $23,119 | $26,210 |
| Montana | 1,050 | $22,030 | $21,940 | $23,620 | $19,473 | $20,575 |
| West Virginia | 180 | $19,740 | $19,290 | $31,690 | $17,437 | $19,484 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-3012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.