New Jersey Internet Gaming Climbs Again in May 2020

In an effort to focus on the positive, let’s look at the good news from the May 2020 gambling statistics in the state of New Jersey. The NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement showed that revenue from internet gaming rose again. It reached new heights with an astounding amount nearing $86 million in revenue.

Online table games and slots carried the day, as usual. Revenue rose again, even as nothing changed with the coronavirus pandemic orders. All casinos in New Jersey remained closed through the months of April and May, and online gaming continued its rise.

Sports betting revenue increased significantly. With more betting options online, revenue grew despite the lack of almost every professional sports league in the world.

Then, there was online poker. The little New Jersey online poker market still posted impressive numbers that were more than 150% higher than the previous year. However, the decrease from April to May was significant.

Of course, the worst news of all was from the land-based gambling segment, which delivered exactly zero dollars in May, the same amount as the previous month.

New Jersey GGR May 2020

Ouff.. 124% iGaming growth y/y and 7% m/m from a record-breaking April month. iSports -55% y/y but +116% m/m so gaining great traction

Resorts (/mainly Draftkings) having a great month with 20% -> 21% m/s iCasino and 22% -> 37% m/s iSports. pic.twitter.com/bTkICrFe9o

— dividendblower (@dividendblower) June 12, 2020

May 2020 Online Poker Revenue

Online poker reached new heights in April. The complete absence of live poker and the stay-at-home orders in full force for that month set a new revenue record. For the most part, online poker continued to be strong in May but certainly not at the previous months’ level.

–May 2020 online poker win:  $4,516,529

–April 2020 online poker win:  $5,148,373

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

—Month-on-month:  90% decrease

—Year-on-year:  151.2% increase

May 2020 Online Casino Games Revenue

As always, online casino slots and table games improved on the previous month. Somehow, during the shutdown, more players contributed to online casino games revenue in May than in April. It more than made up for the online poker dip.

–May 2020 online casino games win:  $81,423,413

–April 2020 online casino games win:  $74,811,453

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

—Month-on-month:  8.1% increase

—Year-on-year:  123.4% increase

Total Internet Gaming Win for May 2020

Of course, the total internet gaming win increased from April to May, thanks to the non-poker online games in May.

–May 2020 total internet gaming win:  $85,939,942

–April 2020 total internet gaming win:  $79,959,826

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

—Month-on-month:  89.3% increase

—Year-on-year:  124.1% increase

Sports Betting in May 2020

After taking a deep dive in April, online sports betting increased in May as sites found more creative ways to allow betting. As more sports leagues resume action in the weeks and months to come, many have expectations that sports wagering is on an upward trajectory.

–May 2020 sports betting win:  $9,912,062

–April 2020 sports betting win: $2,634,050

–May 2019 sports betting win:  $15,536,384

—Month-on-month:  276.3% increase

—Year-on-year:  36.2% decrease

$117 million bet on sports in New Jersey (that's handle), pretty impressive given almost no sports.

Online casino and poker accounted for $85 million in REVENUE. https://t.co/RlSd6XCQqn

— Dustin Gouker (@DustinGouker) June 12, 2020

Total New Jersey Gaming Revenue for May 2020

Overall, it was another very tough month for New Jersey’s gambling industry. The second full month of casino closures put the full reliance for revenue on internet gaming and sports betting.

Next month, the numbers for land-based gambling will begin a slow path back to normal. It is unclear how long this may take, but any revenue will be better than the zeros in April and May.

–May 2020 total gaming revenue:  $95,852,004

–April 2020 total gaming revenue:  $82,593,876

–May 2019 total gaming revenue:  $276,772,655

–Month-on-month:  16.1% increase

–Year-on-year:  65.4% decrease

As mentioned, look for land-based gambling revenue to increase in June. It will be interesting to watch how the return of some Atlantic City gambling options will affect internet gaming.