Online casinos in New Jersey exceeds $100m for fourth straight month

For the fourth month running, online casinos and poker rooms in New Jersey extended its run of $100m plus in revenue, reaching £107.1m in June.

For the fourth month running, online casinos and poker rooms in New Jersey extended its run of $100m plus in revenue, reaching £107.1m in June. 

According to PlayNJ, revenue was up 26.1 per cent from $84.9m in June 2020, though down from $108.2m in May.

Through six months of 2021, online gaming has produced $634.2m in revenue and is set to surpass the record $970.3m in revenue in 2020 and easily reach $1bn in revenue in a single year for the first time.

Borgata/BetMGM led in June with $34.3m in casino and poker revenue. That topped rival Golden Nugget, which reached $27.6m.

“The positive effect of online sports betting, the race for market share, and the behavioural changes that stemmed from last year’s pandemic-related shutdowns continue to benefit online casinos and poker rooms,” Eric Ramsey, analyst for PlayNJ.com, said. “$1bn in annual revenue seems like a certainty now. And more growth could come this fall, even with Atlantic City recovering.”

Moreover, New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks saw a decline in betting volumes in the month of June yet a hold of 9.3 per cent pushed revenue at sportsbooks to more than $71m.

“Overall, New Jersey continues to perform far better than every other sports betting market in the US,” said Dustin Gouker, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayNJ.com. “No market can completely overcome a lack of betting inventory, but New Jersey’s sportsbooks continue to find ways to capitalise on what the sports world is offering, most notably the NBA Playoffs and baseball.”

Online and retail sportsbooks took in $766.9m in bets in June, according to official data released Friday. That is down 5.8 per cent from $814.3m in May, but up from $117.8m in June 2020.

June’s action yielded $71.3m in gross gaming revenue, the most in operator revenue since sportsbooks posted a record $82.6m in January. Operator revenue was up 34.7 per cent from $52.9m in May and up exponentially over $12.6m in June 2020.

All told, June’s betting yielded $10.5 million in state and local taxes. Moreover, the month saw $190.9m in basketball-related bets, easily the most of any sport during the month.

“While the sportsbooks in most states have been scouring the sports landscape for opportunities to drive interest, New Jersey’s books have successfully capitalised on the NBA playoffs and baseball,” added Ramsey.

FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet commanded the market lead once again with $38.1m in gross revenue, up from $29.8m in May as 89.1 per cent of June’s handle came through an online operator. 

Meanwhile, retail sportsbooks continued to benefit from loosening restrictions with $83.9m wagers in June, up from $79.6m in May. 

“It feels like market share in New Jersey is cemented right now,” Ramsey concluded. “Right now, the state could really benefit from a small shakeup. A new brand with a well-known name like SI could help. So too would unlocking local college sports betting.”