New Jersey Online Poker Edges Up Slightly in May

The numbers from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement for the month of May 2019 were mostly positive for online gaming. Overall revenue for May was up 27.1% year-on-year, with land-based casino revenue up more than 15% and online gaming up almost 58% from the previous year.

Those numbers are significant.

From April to May, it was a mixed bag. Casino revenue was up, as was internet gaming, and even online poker jumped a bit. Sports betting was the sector that dropped significantly.

And online poker continues to struggle. Despite the monthly increase, the cumulative sites’ poker revenue cannot climb enough to get ahead of the past year, and any encouraging gains for one or two months in a row inevitably lead to equally frustrating drops.

For the most part, it’s the same story. Online casino games hold up the internet gaming sector, land-based establishments continue improving, and online poker remains a concerning and ungrowable part of the industry for now.

Ups and Downs of Online Poker

A monthly increase for online poker is encouraging, certainly. It doesn’t hurt that May began a heavy online poker season, especially with World Series of Poker events being shared between Nevada and New Jersey. With poker on the minds of so many – in May as the WSOP geared up for its summer series launch – it is easy to see why May was a good month for the online games.

–May 2019 online poker win:  $1,797,732

–April 2019 online poker win:  $1,667,977

–May 2018 online poker win:  $1,929,693

—Month-on-month:  7.8% increase

—Year-on-year:  6.8% decrease

Players will be logging on even more frequently in June, so if history is to be trusted, so this trend should continue for at least one more month. If so, we could see a two-month or three-month streak of growth for online poker in New Jersey.

More Substantial Growth for Casino Games

The year-on-year increases for online casino games become more impressive almost every month. Marketing by internet gambling operators to attract players to online slots and table games is clearly successful and growing the industry as a whole.

–May 2019 online casino games win:  $36,542,906

–April 2019 online casino games win:  $34,914,957

–May 2018 online casino games win:  $22,372,928

—Month-on-month:  4.7% increase

—Year-on-year:  63.3% increase

Not only does casino game participation grow from year to year, there is also substantial monthly growth.

The Whole Package

Of course, the entirety of internet gaming continues its growth because of the slots and table games, online poker aside.

–May 2019 total internet gaming win:  $38,340,638

–April 2019 total internet gaming win:  $36,582,934

–May 2018 total internet gaming win:  $24,302,621

—Month-on-month:  4.8% increase

—Year-on-year:  57.8% increase

Sports betting has been live and tracking for less than one year, so there are no year-on-year revenue comparisons as of yet. The basis for revenue trends in this new arena is simply month by month. And from April to May, the numbers didn’t swing in the right direction.

–May 2019 sports wagering revenue:  $15,536,384

–April 2019 sports wagering revenue:  $21,215,747

–March 2019 sports wagering revenue:  $31,669,387

—Month-on-month:  25.8% decrease

—Two-month drop:  50.9% decrease

The new industry is still working out its glitches, but the swings don’t help anyone figure out the direction of sports betting in general. Time will tell.