US iGaming Market a Mixed Bag in October and November

Last updated on December 27th, 2021

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Online poker revenue is still only available in three of the five states that offer it to players within those states. That reported revenue is typically a disappointment, especially as other verticals tend to see sustained growth. The trend was a bit different in October and November, though, as Pennsylvania saw monthly decreases but yearly increases. And Delaware showed the opposite, with year-on-year growth but monthly downswings. New Jersey only saw its ipoker numbers go down on all fronts.

Michigan reports only igaming totals, which maintained their previous growth in October but fell a bit in November. Other states showed a range of results leading up to December.

Overall, the revenue statistics to be released in January will tell more of a comprehensive story, both on the quarterly and yearly levels.

What is clear is that online poker will continue to suffer until more states sign on to the multistate online poker agreement that allows operators to share player pools across state lines. Until that happens, state-regulated online poker will continue to be an asterisk in most states’ igaming revenue reports. And Connecticut and West Virginia, both of which can offer legal online poker, will not make an effort to do so.

Delaware: October and November 2021

After several months of online poker decreases, Delaware players logged on in larger numbers in October and then November, both bucking the trend set by other states. Year-on-year, however, the numbers fell significantly from 2020.

–October 2021 online poker rake & fees: $30,644.62
–September 2021 online poker: $27,134.00
–October 2020 online poker: $43,276.35
Month-on-month: 13% increase
Year-on-year: 29.2% decrease
–November 2021 online poker rake & fees: $33,361.22
–October 2021 online poker: $30,644.62
–November 2020 online poker: $36,471.93
Month-on-month: 8.9% increase
Year-on-year: 8.5% decrease

The entirety of Delaware’s igaming market, though, showed consistent growth. After some bumps in the road in September, the Delaware Lottery reported monthly and yearly growth in online table games, video lottery, and total igaming revenue.

–October 2021 igaming revenue: $930,093.43
–September 2021 igaming: $794,644.33
–October 2020 igaming: $643,714.34
Month-on-month: 17% increase
Year-on-year: 44.5% increase
–November 2021 igaming revenue: $996,639.00
–October 2021 igaming: $930,093.43
–November 2020 igaming: $568,069.44
Month-on-month: 7.2% increase
Year-on-year: 75.4% increase

While most verticals improved in recent months, the number of new player registrations has not followed that trend. After a very slight increase in September, October saw that number fall 3.4% to 940 in October and then nearly 18% to 772 in November.

Michigan: October and November 2021

As has been the case during the entire first year of igaming in Michigan, the state does not separate online poker, table games, and slots. What we do have is total revenue from gross receipts. And while nearly every month in 2021 increased from the last, November saw a small but unusual drop.

–October 2021 internet gaming gross receipts: $109,673,896.29
–September 2021 igaming: $102,380,221.90
Month-on-month: 7.1% increase
–November 2021 internet gaming gross receipts: $107,593,001.80
–October 2021 igaming: $109,673,896.29
Month-on-month: 1.9% decrease

In similar fashion, total adjusted gross receipts increased 7.2% in October but dropped 2.7% in November. And the amount paid to state taxes totaled nearly $20.3M in October (up 7.6% from the previous month) and more than $19.7M in November (down 2.5%).

Nevada: October and November 2021

Nevada does not report its online poker revenue. The WSOP online poker site is the only one licensed in the state and chooses not to reveal its revenue. This has been the case for years.

New Jersey: October and November 2021

A few months of progress, albeit minimal, for online poker in New Jersey ended in October. The last two months of revenue showed declines for online poker, most significantly in November.

–October 2021 internet poker win: $2,432,361
–September 2021 internet poker: $2,491,901
–October 2020 internet poker: $2,517,774
Month-on-month: 2.4% decrease
Year-on-year: 3.4% decrease
–November 2021 internet poker win: $2,196,525
–October 2021 internet poker: $2,432,361
–November 2020 internet poker: $2,396,617
Month-on-month: 9.7% decrease
Year-on-year: 8.3% decrease

The rest of the internet gaming sector held its own in October, but the numbers all dropped in November. That was somewhat surprising, as New Jersey’s online slots and table games generally stay on an upward trajectory.

–October 2021 internet gaming win: $127,001,705
–September 2021 internet gaming: $122,594,948
–October 2020 internet gaming: $93,451,523
Month-on-month: 3.6% increase
Year-on-year: 35.9% increase
–November 2021 internet gaming win: $117,953,098
–October 2021 internet gaming: $127,001,705
–November 2020 internet gaming: $91,827,190
Month-on-month: 7.1% decrease
Year-on-year: 28.5% increase

Sports betting continued its upswing with revenue increases of 2% in October and 36% in November, both of which followed a substantial increase of 58.5% from August to September.

The entire gambling industry for New Jersey didn’t have the same fortune, though. Casino revenue dropped 5.3% monthly in September, another 1.1% in October, and 2% in November. Land-based casinos seemed to be the sector to pull it down, as that decreased 4.4% in October and 12.9% in November.

Pennsylvania: October and November 2021

Two summer months delivered month-on-month online poker revenue increases. However, September took it down a notch, and October and November then did more damage. Year-on-year sustained its growth pattern.

–October 2021 internet poker revenue: $2,854,323
–September 2021 internet poker: $2,924,846
–October 2020 internet poker: $2,422,505
Month-on-month: 2.5% decrease
Year-on-year: 17.8% increase
–November 2021 internet poker revenue: $2,754,681
–October 2021 internet poker: $2,854,323
–November 2020 internet poker: $2,409,235
Month-on-month: 3.5% decrease
Year-on-year: 14.3% increase

The entirety of the igaming sector in Pennsylvania mimicked New Jersey in that October revenue increased from the previous month, but November dropped. The latter appeared to be a combination of a more than 10% drop in online slots and about half of that in online table games. Online poker always brings it down a notch as well.

–October 2021 internet gaming revenue: $102,891,983
–September 2021 igaming: $97,828,447
–October 2020 igaming: $59,760,431
Month-on-month: 5.2% increase
Year-on-year: 72.2% increase
–November 2021 internet gaming revenue: $93,889,261
–October 2021 igaming: $102,891,983
–November 2020 igaming: $59,775,505
Month-on-month: 8.7% decrease
Year-on-year: 57.1% increase

Sports betting made its big jump from October to November with a 170% revenue increase. The entire gambling industry in Pennsylvania didn’t have that kind of growth, but sports betting did help the state grow 2.5% in October and then 1.5% in November.