Gambling in the USA

PlayNJ.com: Sportsbooks surge while online casinos reach $2 billion in July

Published

5 years ago

August 13, 2020

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Announces April 2023 Total Gaming Revenue Results

New Jersey’s online casinos blew past $2 billion in lifetime revenue in July with another record month as sportsbooks accelerated their rebound by posting the best month since February. Ultimately with Atlantic City casinos reopening, as well as baseball and the NBA restarting their seasons, July represented a return to something more resembling normal for the Garden State gaming market, according to PlayNJ analysts.

“It will take some time before Atlantic City rebounds from the closures of the last few months, but we have at least turned a corner in the market with the return of the retail sector,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayNJ.com. “However, online casinos and sportsbooks should drive the overall market as long as the pandemic continues. A big month for both in July only emphasizes that reality.”

Sports betting

With just a week of the baseball season and two days of NBA action, the state’s online and retail sportsbooks collected $315.1 million in wagers in July, up 91% from $165 million in June, according to official reporting released Monday. It is the most substantial handle since sportsbooks produced $494.8 million in February, and up 25.3% from $251.4 million in July 2019.

Gross revenue rose 65.2% in July to $29.6 million from $17.9 million in July 2019. The “win” yielded $3.7 million in state taxes.

Even with the surge, though, sportsbooks were still off by $150 million from the $465 million in wagers a typical July might have attracted, according to PlayNJ estimates. In all, PlayNJ estimates that the shutdown of major sports since March has cost New Jersey sportsbooks about $1.6 billion in bets.

August will likely end the streak of subpar months, though. Assuming a full schedule of baseball, the NBA, and NHL — basketball hit $18 million in wagers and baseball attracted $2.7 million — sportsbooks will offer far more to bettors than in a typical August.

“August should be an unusually busy month for sports betting, and that will help make up a bit of the $1.6 billion in wagers that have been lost so far,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for PlayNJ.com. “The leagues have to stay healthy, though, or we will be right back to where we started.”

Even as Atlantic City casinos reopened in July, online sportsbooks took in 93.9% of the state’s July handle. FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet was again the market leader with $12.2 million in gross revenue, up from $6.2 million in July. FanDuel was followed in revenue by:

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Resorts Digital/DraftKings/Fox Bet ($8.2 million, up from $3.9 million in June)
BetMGM/Borgata ($2.3 million, up from $881,435)
Monmouth/William Hill/Sugarhouse/TheScore ($1.6 million, up from $593,548)
Ocean Casino/William Hill ($1.4 million, up from $691,135)
Hard Rock/Bet365/Unibet ($838,812, up from $450,589)
Caesars Sportsbook/888sport ($357,132, up from $43,561)
Tropicana/William Hill ($38,358, up from $5,245)
Golden Nugget/BetAmerica ($85,028, up from $66,533)

In-person sportsbooks drew $19.3 million in bets, an expectedly tepid restart for Atlantic City after being shuttered since March. FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands led the market with $1.9 million in July.

“As long as major sports are played, online sportsbooks will make up for much of what is lost in the retail sector,” Gouker said. “But with the college football season very much in doubt, and the NFL season facing significant hurdles itself, the fall offers a lot of uncertainty at this point.”

Online casinos

Even as Atlantic City reopened, online casinos and poker used another record month to pass $2 billion in lifetime revenue and $300 million in lifetime taxes. July’s $87.5 million in revenue was up 122.5% from $39.3 million in July 2019 and topped the $85.9 million revenue record set in May. July’s “win” yielded $13.1 million in state and local taxes.

Online casinos and poker have now generated $2.01 billion since the industry launched in November 2013, producing $302.3 million in state taxes.

“$2 billion in revenue and $300 million in taxes show just how vital online casinos have become for New Jersey,” Ramsey said. “Especially after the last few months, it’s a sobering thought to imagine where the state’s gaming industry would be without online gambling.”

Some other highlights from July’s report:

Atlantic City casinos generated $147.4 million in revenue after most reopened in July.
Online casinos and poker generated $2.8 million a day in the 31 days of July, level with $2.8 million a day in the 30 days of June.
Revenue from online casino games hit $82.7 million, up from $81.4 million in June.
Online poker produced $4.8 million in July revenue, up from $3.5 million in June.
Golden Nugget Online Gaming dominated the market with $31.5 million in July, up from $29.1 million.

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 original daily 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.

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Gambling in the USA

Plaza Hotel & Casino Partners with Aristocrat Gaming™ to Debut Downtown’s First Buffalo & Mo’ Friends™ Slot Area

Published

10 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Peter Tolan

Ribbon cutting event and launch of player promotion: Thursday, Sept. 4, 11 a.m.

On Thursday, Sept. 4 at 11 a.m., the Plaza Hotel & Casino will hold a ribbon cutting to celebrate the debut of a new dedicated area for fans of the wildly popular Buffalo™ and Mo’ Mummy™ slot game franchises and other player-favorite Aristocrat Gaming titles. With 63 games, the Buffalo & Mo’ Friends slot area at the Plaza is the only one in downtown Las Vegas.

Located between the casino cage and the Plaza Rewards Players Club, the Buffalo & Mo’ Friends area at the Plaza features numerous fan-favorite Aristocrat Gaming titles, including:

Buffalo Ultimate Stampede™,
Buffalo Ascension™,
Buffalo Power Pays™,
Buffalo Triple Power™,
Coin Trio Buffalo™,
Buffalo and Friends™,
Buffalo Diamond Extreme™,
Mo’ Mummy,
Mo’ Mo’ Mo’ Mummy™,
Spooky Link™,
Ultimate Fast Cash™,
House of the Dragon™,
Phoenix Link™,
Jackpot Carnival™,
Firecracker Fortunes™,
Dragon Link™,
Lucky Looters™ and more.

The eye-catching wraps, bright lights, and distinct game sounds, Buffalo & Mo’ Friends welcomes players to a dedicated space of entertainment and excitement with their favorite games and ones they have yet to experience.

“Our goal on the casino floor is to offer the newest and most popular games to our guests, and our players are big fans of the various Buffalo and Mo’ Mummy games. So, we are thrilled to partner with Aristocrat Gaming on this dedicated game area that sets the Plaza apart from the rest of downtown Las Vegas,” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino.

“We pride ourselves in creating entertaining games that invite players to step into a world of fun with favorite characters, themes and gameplay features,” said Kurt Gissane, Chief Revenue Officer for Aristocrat Gaming. “The creation of the Buffalo & Mo’ Friends gaming area has truly been a collaborative effort with the Plaza team, wanting to give their players Mo’ and the new Buffalo & Mo’ Friends area certainly delivers. We look forward to seeing player excitement when they see all their favorite Aristocrat games in one vibrant area.”

To celebrate the debut of Buffalo & Mo’ Friends on Thursday, Sept. 4, the Plaza will offer Plaza Rewards players a variety of Buffalo-branded swag items and the chance of larger prizes based on the number of points accumulated daily. The Buffalo-themed promotion will last until Oct. 4 or while supplies last. Full rules available at the Plaza Rewards Players Club.

Gambling in the USA

INTRALOT, Inc. signs contract with Montana Lottery to deliver next-generation lottery technology

Published

10 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Peter Tolan

INTRALOT S.A. is pleased to announce that its U.S. subsidiary, INTRALOT, Inc., has been awarded anew contract to provide the Montana Lottery with a next-generation lottery operating system and related services, including continued support for its Sports Bet Montana wagering product.

The new contract award follows a competitive Request For Proposal procurement process and marks the third contract between INTRALOT and the Montana Lottery, extending a nearly 20-year partnership built on innovation, reliability, and results.

The new agreement spans seven years with three one-year extension options and will ensure a fully modernized solution for nearly 1,300 retailers statewide. Under this new contract, INTRALOT will deploy its industry-leading LotosX Omni™ solution, which delivers a unified, future-ready lottery experience for players across the state using LotosX™, a best-in-class gaming platform engineered for upmost security, scalability, and innovation. INTRALOT will also design and provide an upgraded retail network infrastructure that will include the award-winning PhotonX retailer terminals and peripherals, plus new self-service terminals and multi-product vending machines, making the gaming experience more convenient and entertaining than ever for Montanans.

Bob Brown, Director of the Montana Lottery commented “We are very pleased to extend our business relationship with INTRALOT, a company that has been our partner for nearly two decades. This new contract ensures our lottery system remains modern and secure, allowing us to provide our retailers and players with the best possible experience. The LotosX Omni™ solution and new retail technology will be a game-changer, helping us to deliver an even more engaging experience for our players and continue to generate important revenue for the STEM scholarship program and for the State of Montana.”

Richard Bateson, CEO of INTRALOT, Inc. commented “We are honored to enter our third contract with the Montana Lottery and continue to partner with the Lottery as it embarks on its next phase of growth. With this new agreement, INTRALOT is bringing fresh resources, expanded expertise, andstate-of-the-art technology to reset and strengthen our local presence in Montana. At the heart of this transformation is our LotosXTM platform, a modular, microservices-based system that accelerates time to market, enables player-centric innovation, and delivers enhanced security and player protection through a proven and future-ready architecture.”

Since 2006, INTRALOT has played a pivotal role in Montana’s lottery success, helping to increase sales by an impressive 286% through technology upgrades and operational enhancements. Notably, INTRALOT introduced sports wagering to the state in 2020, uniquely tailored to Montana’s regulatory framework, and powers the Lottery’s wildly successful raffle game

Gambling in the USA

West Virginia University Announces New Gift to Support the Center for Gaming Research and Development

Published

10 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Peter Tolan

West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics is proud to announce the establishment of a new fund for the Center for Gaming Research and Development, generously seeded by gaming industry veterans Chen and Benjamin Truman.

Launched with the mission to promote research on responsible gaming practices and consumer protection in gambling markets, the Center leverages leading-edge expertise — including Chambers College like Professor Brad Humphreys, an internationally recognized researcher in the economics of gaming markets.

This new fund will enable the Center to:

Expand its research initiatives into gaming markets, including analysis of transactions level data provided by gaming operators in West Virginia to identify and understand problematic gambling behavior and ensure fair pricing of wagers.
Enhance integration of gaming-focused research and analytics into curricular offerings in the Chambers college, including cybersecurity, business data analytics, finance, management information systems, and economics.
Develop courses, training, certificates, initiatives and other activities designed to foster innovation in gaming technology development, and prepare students for careers in racing, gaming, gaming operations, hospitality management, guest relations, entertainment, and other amenities typically offered in conjunction with gaming operations.
Foster deeper collaboration with policymakers and industry stakeholders to translate research insights into impactful policy and practice.

The Center’s research, education, and outreach will have an important impact on the lives of state residents, college students throughout the state, gaming industry firms operating in the state, and state gaming regulators. This generous gift will allow the Center to fulfill the role envisioned by the state legislature when they passed The Responsible Gaming and Research and Industry Development Act. — Professor Brad Humphreys, Director, Center for Gaming Research and Development

This strategic investment by Chen and Benjamin Truman, a WVU alumni, underscores their commitment to evidence-based research and responsible industry practices. It will help propel the Center’s mission to safeguard consumer interests within evolving gaming markets.

We’re thrilled to see West Virginia University take a leadership role in shaping the future of iGaming and sports betting policy. As industry veterans, Chen and I are proud to support a mission that will not only advance responsible gaming but also help set the global standard for innovation and consumer protection in this space.” — Benjamin Truman, Co-Founder, Absolutebet.

About the Center for Gaming Research and Development

The Center was created by an Act of the West Virginia legislature, the Responsible Gaming and Research and Industry Development Act. The Center is dedicated to advancing academic research, analyzing gaming data including transactions level data, developing courses and initiatives to prepare WVU students for careers in the gaming industry, and shaping policy and industry standards through collaboration, education, and data-driven insight. It seeks to mitigate inherent risks in gaming—such as problem gambling and pricing opacity—by empowering informed decision-making among consumers, regulators, and industry players.

About the John Chambers College of Business and Economics

Located at West Virginia University, the Chambers College combines rigorous academic programs with an emphasis on cutting-edge research, equipping students to address real-world challenges across business disciplines.