New Jersey online gambling revenue crossed the $30 million mark for the second month in a row.
Atlantic City's casinos won almost $3.3 billion from gamblers in 2019, helped by surging sports and internet bets as the seaside resort continued to rebound from a mid-decade meltdown that saw five casinos close. Figures released Tuesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the nine casinos collectively won $3.29 billion in 2019, an increase of over 15% from 2018. Casinos in Atlantic City had a strong month of February, as revenues were up 21% than the year prior. The numbers were revealed by the state's Division of Gaming Enforcement and revealed: Brick and mortar revenues of $196.7 million, up 15.7% from the year prior and $20 million higher than last year; Slots revenue up 12.4% to $139.5 million.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement released February’s numbers, and NJ online casino operators reported a combined $31,748,726in revenue.
It’s a slight downtick from the $33,594,391 from January, which was the best month ever for NJ online gambling.
But the significance of February’s number is the 44.4 percent increase from the same period last year. Newcomers Hard Rock Atlantic Cityand Ocean Resort Casinowere not open at the time. February 2018 closed out with $21,992,124 in revenue.
Bottom line: NJ online gambling operators are starting 2019 on a high note.
There is a pattern when it comes to the Garden State’s monthly report, and it has to do with the top-performing license holder.
Golden Nuggetcontinues to be the market leader when it comes to NJ online casino revenue.
It was the lone operator to earn more than $10 million in revenue in February.
The $10,701,266 may not stand out as much as the industry-leading $12,180,039 it generated last month, but it’s a 35.7 percent improvement from the same period last year.
Here is a full breakdown of each operator and its internet gambling revenue:
Online Casino Licensee | 2019 Feb. Revenue | 2018 Feb. Revenue | % Change |
---|---|---|---|
Borgata | $4,506,716 | $3,792,013 | 18.8% |
Caesars | $4,279,791 | $3,192,267 | 34.1% |
Golden Nugget | $10,701,266 | $7,885,648 | 35.7% |
Hard Rock | $1,668,777 | -- | -- |
Ocean Resort | $483,508 | -- | -- |
Resorts | $6,657,591 | $3,775,736 | 76.3% |
Tropicana | $3,451,077 | $3,346,460 | 3.1% |
Resorts Digital — the online arm of Resorts Casino in Atlantic City —is No. 2 on the list with a reported $6,657,591.
But what makes this figure stand out above Golden Nugget’s is the fact it experienced a whopping 76.3 percent increase from the same period last year.
Besides having its own Resortsplatform, it also partners with a number of other well-known NJ gambling sites:
The latter brand is currently integrated into the DraftKings Sportsbookapp and includes live dealer games. Just three months into its life in the market, DraftKings Casino feeds off the success of its NJ sports betting app. This likely contributes to Resorts’ meteoric rise.
A standalone DraftKings Casino app could be coming this year.
Besides the two market leaders, the other NJ online gambling operators saw solid year-over-year growth.
Caesarsreported $4,279,791 and a 34.1 percent increase.
Borgata reported $4,506,716 for an 18.8 percent increase.
On the flip side, Tropicanaremained relatively flat with a 3.1 percent improvement from the same period as last year, but the $3,451,077 earned added to the positive trend.
For Hard Rock and Ocean online, the two youngest online casinos in New Jersey, comparisons are limited. But trends are visible already.
Hard Rock reported $1,668,777, which puts them toward the bottom of the pack.
But Hard Rock Online Casino has experienced growth over the last few months of its tenure in NJ. It’s well on its way to its first-ever $2 million month.
It also could benefit from March Madness betting. Its online sportsbook launched Jan. 26 as an integrated app with the rest of the online gambling site. Customers using the app to place sports wagers can take advantage of the shared wallet.
Ocean remains in ownership transition. The property is in the process of being taken over by New York-based hedge fund Luxor Capital Group. And as it is, February online gambling revenue came in at just $483,508 — the lowest of any of the license holders.
On its own, gambling sites in New Jersey are a powerhouse. But the addition of online sportsbooks certainly has changed things a bit.
A chilly 28 days in February, combined with a less-than-stellarSuper Bowl betting performance, left NJ online sportsbooks with just $12.9 million in revenue. Retail books fared little better.
That being said, there is no question that online sports betting contributes heavily to the success of online casinos thanks to cross-selling. Most of the 13 sportsbook apps share wallets and sites with established online casinos.
When included with NJ online casino and poker revenue, online sports betting brings the total revenue to $44.6 million in February. Not too shabby at all.
New Jersey casinos won $232.3 million from gamblers in February, according to the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement. It is the ninth consecutive month of gaming revenue growth in the Garden State.
The February figure is up from January’s $229.6 million-win and up 15.7 percent year-over-year. The state’s nine casinos won $26 million more in February 2019 than the same month in 2018.
Kevin Ortzman, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, told the Press of Atlantic City that as the calendar turns to March, growth should continue through increased tourism to the Atlantic City casinos.
“Since the start of the New Year, Atlantic City continues to see sustained revenue and tourism growth in 2019,” said Ortzman. “As we head into March, with March Madness and baseball season approaching, we are very hopeful that Atlantic City will continue to grow as a destination resort for visitors.
The Borgata was the state’s biggest winner. It won $50.615 million from its patrons. All of the revenue came from slots and table games, however, as its sportsbook lost $756,000 in February. It lost more than any other sportsbook in the state.
There were several other sportsbooks in the state that reported losses mostly thanks to the $4.5 million the state’s books lost on the Super Bowl.
Golden Nugget, Harrah’s and Tropicana’s sportsbooks all finished February as losers as well. None of them were even close to losing as much as Borgata’s book did. Golden Nugget was the only other book that lost a six-figure sum with a $125,000 loss.
The state’s sportsbooks lost on the Super Bowl, but they allowed its gamblers to bet on the Oscars for the first time in history. They won about $200,000 on the awards show after taking about $750,000 in bets.
Overall from sports betting, the books won $3.875 million from a total handle of $320.4 million. These figures include online betting, which accounted for about 80 percent of the wagers.
Casinos won $57 million from table games, which was up 24.4 percent year-over-year, and netted another $139.6 million from slots, up 12.4 percent year-over-year.
Online gaming revenues totaled $31.7 in earnings for operators. It was up a whopping 44.4 percent from this time last year.