Gambling in the USA
NEW JERSEY SPORTSBOOKS POST SLOWEST MONTH IN TWO YEARS WHILE ONLINE CASINOS EXPAND RECORD-SETTING PACE
With few sports to bet on and retail sportsbooks shuttered completely, New Jersey’s sportsbooks were out of about $450 million in bets in April, according to PlayNJ estimates. But while sportsbooks and Atlantic City casinos languish, revenue at online casinos and poker rooms continue to skyrocket, hitting a record $80 million in April.
“Seeing New Jersey’s retail sportsbook handle at zero and its land-based casinos generate no revenue is jarring, laying bare just how much these shutdowns are costing the industry,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayNJ.com. “The jump in revenue from online casinos and poker is welcome, but there is no way yet for it to fully make up for the revenue lost by Atlantic City’s casinos and sportsbooks.”
According to official reporting released Wednesday, New Jersey’s sportsbooks collected just $54.6 million in bets in April. Announced ahead of the second anniversary of the PASPA decision that opened the door to legal gambling in New Jersey, which is Friday, sportsbooks posted the lowest statewide total since $40.7 million was wagered in July 2018. That was the first full month of legal sports betting and before online sportsbooks had launched.
April’s handle was down 82.6% from $313.7 million in April 2019 and down 70% from $181.9 million in March. Under normal circumstances, New Jersey sportsbooks would have generated some $500 million in bets in April, according to PlayNJ.com estimates.
New Jersey’s handle yielded $2.6 million in gross revenue, down 87.7% from $21.2 million in April 2019 and 80.3% from $13.2 million in March 2020. April’s revenue generated $356,726 in state taxes.
“This is the U.S. gaming industry’s first full glimpse of the dramatic effect these shutdowns are having, because New Jersey was mature enough last year to offer a true year-over-year comparison,” Gouker said. “The picture for the industry is not pretty, and that will continue until sports leagues figure out a way to reopen.”
With retail sportsbooks shut down entirely in April—potentially wiping out more than $50 million of in-person bets—online sportsbooks accounted for New Jersey’s entire handle. FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet led the market with $1.65 million in gross revenue, down from $5.7 million in March. FanDuel was followed in revenue by:
- Resorts Digital/DraftKings/Fox Bet ($604,359, down from $5.1 million in March).
- Monmouth/William Hill/Sugarhouse/TheScore ($185,627, down from $849,236)
- BetMGM/Borgata ($93,486, up/down from $609,235)
- Ocean Casino/William Hill ($91,069, down from $635,620)
- Hard Rock/Bet365/Unibet ($43,892, down from $167,314)
- Caesars Sportsbook/888sport ($20,095, down from $44,413)
- Tropicana/William Hill (-$585, down from $17,180)
- Golden Nugget/BetAmerica (-$5,507, down from $143,209)
Nontraditional sports have drawn surprising betting interest. Bets on sports that New Jersey categorizes as “other” than football, baseball, and basketball generated $21.7 million in April, up from $14.8 million in April 2019. And with NASCAR planning on a May start and the PGA Tour planning to tee off in June, bettors could soon have more options on less obscure sports. Meanwhile, baseball and the NBA continue to search for a workable solution to restart their seasons.
“The rise in bets on nontraditional sports has been interesting, and with auto racing and golf appearing closer to starting, that trend could increase,” Gouker said. “There are reasons for optimism, too. Hopefully, we will look back at April and see that it was the clear low point.”
Online casinos and poker set more records
Online casinos and poker rooms offered the lone bright spot in the state’s gaming industry. Combined they generated a record $79.96 million in April revenue, up 118.6% from $36.6 million in April 2019 and easily topping the $64.8 million mark set last month.
The increase in online revenue is much needed. But the $43.4 million in year-over-year gains in online casino and poker revenue replaces just 20.9% of the $207.6 million in revenue that land-based casinos in Atlantic City generated in April 2019.
Online casinos and poker generated a record $2.7 million per day during the 30 days, up from $2.1 million per day in March. That revenue yielded $12 million in state taxes.
“Such a dramatic shift to digital gambling could permanently alter the market, even after land-based casinos open,” said Eric Ramsey, an analyst for PlayNJ.com. “The longer the current closures go on the higher chance there is for a more permanent shift in bettors’ preferences for digital gaming.”
The Golden Nugget once again topped the market with a record $27.6 million in revenue, up from $21.3 million in March, followed by Resorts AC ($16.2 million) and Borgata ($15.9 million).
Online casinos generated $74.8 million in revenue. Poker—which has almost tripled February’s revenue—posted a record $5.15 million in April. That was up from $3.6 million in March.
“Just three months ago it looked like online poker may all but disappear, now it is breaking revenue records that have stood for six or seven years,” Ramsey said. “That shows just how much the market has changed in such a short time.”
For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting and online gaming in New Jersey, visit PlayNJ.com/news.
About the PlayUSA.com Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states, PlayUSA.com and its state-focused branches produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online gaming options for consumers. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliations to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.
eSports
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Gambling in the USA
Clark County residents can bring a friend for free to next week’s Super Bingo $160,000 tournament at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, May 6-8
Home to downtown Las Vegas’ only bingo room, the Plaza Hotel & Casino is offering Clark County, Nevada residents who register to play in next week’s Super Bingo tournament the opportunity to bring a friend for free.
Happening Monday, May 6 through Wednesday, May 8 in the Plaza’s expansive ballroom, Super Bingo is expected to draw nearly 1,000 people from the local Las Vegas valley and across the country and Canada for the opportunity to win big playing fun-filled games of bingo over two days, with a $50,000 super coverall both days while socializing with like-minded bingo players.
Bingo-only registration is $160 per person, and Clark County residents who register can bring a friend for free. Registration is available online at https://www.plazahotelcasino.com/bingo/super-bingo-registration/. Hotel-and-bingo packages start at $300 for a four-night stay with no resort fee.
All Super Bingo players receive one 6-on paper pack for both days, two daubers, free drinks via an open bar at all sessions, boxed lunch both days, and $10 in free slot play after the first day’s session.
The Plaza’s Bingo room offers six daily bingo sessions at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and is located on the 3rd floor. By parking on the third floor of the Plaza’s self-parking garage, guests have convenient and direct access to the Plaza’s bingo room and parking is validated for bingo players.
Gambling in the USA
Kambi Group plc extends Mohegan partnership with on-property sports betting agreement in Pennsylvania
Kambi Group plc (“Kambi”), the world’s trusted sports betting partner, has agreed a long-term on-property sportsbook partnership with Mohegan to provide its award-winning sportsbook at two retail locations in the state of Pennsylvania.
The partnership will see Mohegan utilise Kambi’s cutting-edge retail sportsbook offering across more than 20 kiosks in sportsbook locations at Mohegan Pennsylvania and Mohegan Pennsylvania at Lehigh Valley Race and Sportsbook.
The deal further strengthens Kambi’s relationship with Mohegan, which already utilises Kambi’s suite of sports betting products at ilani in Washington, as well as online and on-property in the Canadian province of Ontario at Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.
Kristian Nylén, Kambi CEO and Co-founder, said: “With several successful partnerships with Mohegan already in place, we are pleased to agree this new partnership as we continue to build on our strong relationship.
“This latest deal further reinforces Kambi’s position as the sportsbook provider of choice for tribes across North America, and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration with Mohegan.”
Tony Carlucci, President & GM of Mohegan Pennsylvania, said: “Mohegan Pennsylvania is excited to continue utilising the same Kambi technology platform that existed under our Kindred partnership, which will help to create a seamless process as the Sportsbook at Mohegan Pennsylvania fully rebrands later this Spring.”
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