New Jersey's online gambling numbers showed a nice rebound after a disappointing June. Revenues were up 7% over the previous month, finishing with $10.1 million in revenues over the course of the month.
Summer tends to have slowdowns in the online gambling industry, because more people are on vacation or outside enjoying the Sun. To see the numbers climb in the middle of the warm weather months is an optimistic sign for the New Jersey online gambling industry. Other news could give the Atlantic City Internet properties a boost, as the cool weather returns and numbers should be increasing, anyway.
Online Casinos over 79% of Revenues
Online casinos continued to perform much better than New Jersey's Internet poker sites. The online casino gaming included almost 80% of the revenues, with a total of $7.9 million. That number represents a 5% increase over the previous month.
Online Poker Rooms Show 10% Bounce
The online poker rooms continue to lag behind the casino table games, but virtual Texas hold'em and similar games showed a nice 10% increase. The total earnings by New Jersey's online card rooms totaled $2.2 million.
Part of the reason online poker has not shown the growth New Jersey's leaders had wanted is the exclusion of PokerStars up until this point. With the purchase of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker by Amaya Inc., it looks like the suspended licensing process for PokerStars could be a thing of the past in the next few months. If so, then the world's largest poker website will partner with Atlantic City's Resorts Casino on a new website.
Poker Numbers Could Increase Soon
If that happens, the numbers for New Jersey's online poker rooms should grow precipitously. PokerStars has the biggest poker playing community and the corresponding biggest prize pools, so New Jersey gamblers should flock to the site.
Further good news came this week as rumors began to spread that PayPal would start processing legal online gaming payments. Many gamblers still do not play if their favorite payment processor isn't accepted at a website. Since PayPal (owned by eBay) is the biggest such company in the United States, many more New Jerseyans are likely to play if they can fund their account with PayPal. The company already interfaces with PokerStars software in other countries, so if the licensing for both companies is approved in New Jersey, it could prove to be a powerful combination in driving numbers.
Borgata Versus Caesars
The Borgata/Bwin.Party brand continues to be the top earner among Atlantic City's online casinos. Borgata Online pulled in $3.2 million, with $2.1 million coming from the Borgata Casino Online and $1.1 coming from the company's poker. As you can see, half of the poker revenues came from Borgata Online.
Caesars Interactive continues to edge up on the top spot. While Borgata's numbers represent an 8% decline over the previous months, Caesars sites pulled in a 4.5% increase. Caesars collected $1.7 million from its online casino properties and $1 million from its poker line, for a total of $2.7 million. If the numbers continue on the same arc, Caesars Interactive could surpass Borgata in two months time.
Tropicana's July Numbers - Golden Nugget Is #4
Tropicana Online continues to hold the #3 spot. Tropicana collected a little under $2 million in July 2014. The Tropicana/Gamesys online presence is casino-only. That means Tropicana actually beat the Caesars online casinos heads-up, so if the company ever chooses to delve into online poker, it could challenge for the second spot.
The Golden Nugget started a little later than the competition, but its casino-only online product continues to gain steam. Golden Nugget Online collected $945 thousand, for a 25% increase over the previous month.
Trump Online Gaming Properties
The Trump Plaza/Betfair online site showed a nice turnaround from dismal June numbers, with $676 thousand for its online casino (a 35% increase). That is impressive, given the fact Trump Plaza is set to close its doors, and therefore the online community there could soon find themselves without an online home. The Trump Plaza poker site did not fare as well, as it collected $1 in winnings. I did not forget to add "thousand" or "million" to that number--Trump Plaza poker collected one dollar.
The Trump Taj Majal and Ultimate Gaming website earned $585 thousand total in July 2014, with $559 thousand of that coming from the online casino. It should be interesting to see if the traffic from Trump Plaza is integrated into the Trump Taj Mahal's web traffic, or if the competition soaks in those numbers in the coming months.
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