New Jersey Online Gaming Back on the Rise in July
In July 2020, Atlantic City casinos in New Jersey began to reopen. They unlocked the doors, cleaned like they’ve never cleaned before, and began to welcome customers back on July 2.
The coronavirus pandemic forced all of the casinos to shut down complete in March, and out of an abundance of caution, there were not allowed to reopen until July. Even so, they had to enact strict sanitizing protocols, limit capacity, only offer games that could keep players socially distanced. It may be quite some time before casinos in Atlantic City – or anywhere, for that matter – will be able to operate at full capacity.
For casinos, the shutdowns meant no revenue – zero, nada, zilch – from land-based gaming in April, May, and June. Luckily, though, New Jersey had a solid and well-established internet gaming system from which to draw revenue.
Online slot games, table games, sports betting, and internet poker revenue did quite well during the Covid-19-related lockdowns, delivering tens of millions of dollars in revenue each month.
Today, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement released the revenue numbers for July 2020. And surprisingly, even with the reopening of casinos, racetracks, and retail sportsbooks, players not only remained online, they increased their online gambling activities.
July 2020 Online Poker Revenue
Online poker thrived in New Jersey as did other forms of internet gaming during the pandemic. However, considering the roller coaster that is always the online poker sector, it didn’t remain on the rise.
Revenue from this sector increased from February to March and again in April, but it dropped in May and then again in June. But hello, July! Online poker revenue found its groove again and jumped in the right direction.
–July 2020 online poker win: $4,818,561
–June 2020 online poker win: $3,537,077
–July 2019 online poker win: $1,886,918
—Month-on-month: 36.2% increase
—Year-on-year: 155.37% increase
Last year’s online poker revenue was quite disappointing, so the year-on-year increases in 2020 have been refreshing. But the significant monthly increase was also encouraging.
July 2020 Online Casino Games Revenue
As has been the case for years, the online slots and online table games action has ruled the New Jersey iGaming revenue. This non-poker internet gaming has been the star of the show each month, and its regular growth was accentuated even more during the pandemic.
Last month was the first in a long time that the month-to-month revenue dipped, though it was ever so slight a dip. But in July, the numbers were back up and on track.
–July 2020 online casino games win: $82,674,391
–June 2020 online casino games win: $81,376,070
–July 2019 online casino games win: $37,428,813
—Month-on-month: 1.6% increase
—Year-on-year: 120.9% increase
Total Internet Gaming Win for July 2020
Even with the lack of growth in online slots and table games, those games held up the internet gaming sector as a whole. The month-to-month loss merely reflected the online poker decrease.
–July 2020 total internet gaming win: $87,492,952
–June 2020 total internet gaming win: $84,913,147
–July 2019 total internet gaming win: $39,315,731
—Month-on-month: 3.04% increase
—Year-on-year: 122.54% increase
Sports Betting in July 2020
New Jersey’s sports wagering market is back on the rise. Many professional sports are still struggling to put together some seasons of games, but the return of anything on which to place bets helps the market. Bettors have numerous online options and now some retail locations returning as well.
–July 2020 sports betting win: $29,551,987
–June 2020 sports betting win: $12,639,282
–July 2019 sports betting win: $17,884,790
—Month-on-month: 133.8% increase
—Year-on-year: 65.2% increase
Total New Jersey Gaming Revenue for July 2020
For the first time in months, revenue from land-based casinos appeared in the monthly statistics report again. The numbers show that there is still a long way to go, and it may take some time if Covid-19 keeps rearing its ugly head, but any start to a return to normalcy is positive for the industry.
–July 2020 total casino win: $147,440,622
–June 2020 total casino win: $0
–July 2019 total casino win: $277,185,837
–Month-on-month: $100% increase
–Year-on-year: 46.8% decrease
Obviously, this helped put the overall gaming revenue back on the road to recovery as well. Online gaming kept the industry afloat through the worst of the pandemic, but New Jersey will undoubtedly be glad to see its overall revenue rising again.
–July 2020 total gaming revenue: $264,485,561
–June 2020 total gaming revenue: $97,552,429
–July 2019 total gaming revenue: $334,386,358
–Month-on-month: 171.1% increase
–Year-on-year: 20.9% decrease
If New Jersey can keep its number of positive Covid-19 cases down, the state’s gambling industry can build its numbers back.
Even with retail casinos re-opened, New Jersey's internet gaming market sees incredible growth. Can iGaming really reach $90M? Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/eqRiS1Omtg
— John A Pappas (@yanni_dc) August 12, 2020
