US iGaming Revenue Down in Four States in June
Last month, we reported the final online gaming revenue numbers for May, and the four states providing this information showed mixed results. For June, however, the news was bad across the board.
Online poker revenue in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania dropped in June. (Michigan doesn’t break out its poker online from other igaming revenue.) But online casino game decreases in all four states brought the sector down as a whole.
This is unusual, but the times are unusual as well. The pandemic pushed numbers in 2020 to new highs, but many people returned to land-based gambling properties this year as able. On the other hand, with a new Covid-19 variant in the mix, some people have put their public excursions on hold. This year – with its vaccines and variants, mask mandates and infection surges – is inserting many unknown factors into the industry. Land-based and online gambling operators are maneuvering their way through this unprecedented time as they can.
Normally, the halfway mark of a year is an ideal time to look at year-on-year numbers to measure growth or lack thereof. This year, we will look at it but reserve judgment until the market conditions stabilize.
Delaware: June 2021
The little online poker market in Delaware stayed on a downswing in June. The only month of growth in 2021 thus far was April, but it has fallen significantly in May and June. And as compared to 2020, when the pandemic lockdown was in full effect, the decrease is much more notable.
–June 2021 online poker rake & fees: $31,999.83
–May 2021 online poker: $35,251.37
–June 2020 online poker: $57,742.58
Month-on-month: 9.2% decrease
Year-on-year: 44.6% decrease
Normally, video lottery revenue grows each month, but June changed that. Table games have been on a roller coaster in 2021 thus far. Putting it all together with online poker, the sector was down from May to June at about the same rate of April to May. The annual decrease was on the same path.
–June 2021 igaming revenue: $843,117.81
–May 2021 igaming: $910,282.46
–June 2020 igaming: $964,606.96
Month-on-month: 7.4% decrease
Year-on-year: 12.6% decrease
The Delaware Lottery as a whole saw a depressed number of new player registrations in June. May saw an unusual rise of new accounts at 854 for 44% growth, but June fell back to 690 to dip 19.2% month-on-month. The yearly comparison for June saw the number of registrations down 21.7%.
Michigan: June 2021
As has been the case since Michigan launched its igaming market in January, reports do not break out online poker from the rest of the internet games.
The entire market seems to be continuing to settle since its launch in January. The first months saw increases in monthly gross receipts, but the last few months have seen some settling, with slight decreases each month. June was the most marked decrease in total gross receipts to date, especially when adjusted. Meanwhile the state tax payments from igaming operators hit a major downswing for the first month since launch.
–June 2021 internet gaming gross receipts: $89,214,138.23
–May 2021 igaming: $94,851,552.09
Month-on-month: 5.9% decrease
Total adjusted gross receipts dipped 25.7% from May to June, a very significant number to watch.
State tax payments dropped from $18.1M in May to $13.7M in June, a concerning 24.3% decrease.
Nevada: June 2021
Nevada has not and does not report its online poker revenue. They will be required to do so if and when three or more sites operate in Nevada, but currently, the WSOP is the only state-licensed online site in that state.
New Jersey: June 2021
After an impressive May, wherein all sectors of the gaming industry grew except sports wagering, June reversed some of that gain. While the industry as a whole grew 5% in New Jersey last month, internet gaming dipped. For years, internet gaming increased steadily month after month, but this year posed some issues as land-based gambling resumed post-pandemic.
June saw sports wagering back up and table games up in commercial casinos. Their slot machine revenue fell slightly, but the internet gaming loss of more than 1% stood out. And, of course, poker returned to its familiar backslide.
–June 2021 internet poker win: $2,209,374
–May 2021 internet poker: $2,407,871
–June 2020 internet poker: $3,537,077
Month-on-month: 8.2% decrease
Year-on-year: 37.5% decrease
Non-poker games fell only slightly in June, but thanks to the significant online poker dip, the monthly revenue fall exceeded 1%. The numbers are still up from last year, though.
–June 2021 internet gaming win: $107,053,938
–May 2021 internet gaming: $108,170,558
–June 2020 internet gaming: $84,913,147
Month-on-month: 0.87% decrease
Year-on-year: 26.1% increase
The total gaming revenue number shows a 302.7% year-on-year increase due to the lack of any revenue from land-based gambling in June 2020.
Pennsylvania: June 2021
In a rare month, the entirety of Pennsylvania igaming revenue decreased in June. May had delivered monthly increases of 7.4% for igaming slots, 13.4% for igaming tables, and even 9.8% for online poker. June reversed all of that and then some.
As for online poker only, the sector of the market has been somewhat unpredictable this year. However, there could be a rather large uptick in July, as the WSOP entered the market this month. Another competitor may give the sector a boost.
–June 2021 internet poker revenue: $2,417,679
–May 2021 internet poker: $2,603,430
–June 2020 internet poker: $3,240,917
Month-on-month: 7.1% decrease
Year-on-year: 25.4% decrease
Typically, online poker is the biggest unknown in the igaming industry, but all of online gaming dropped in June. There is still a massive year-on-year growth figure, which shows a general trend upward on the past year.
–June 2021 internet gaming revenue: $88,914,664
–May 2021 igaming: $101,251,771
–June 2020 igaming: $50,055,251
Month-on-month: 12.2% decrease
Year-on-year: 77.63% increase
After the entire gambling industry in Pennsylvania grew 2.2% in May, its revenue dropped 5.88% in June. The year-on-year number was 193.32%, but considering the pandemic effect in 2020, this should be the case.
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