The state of New Jersey is home to one of the most thrilling, most profitable online casino gaming and online sports betting markets in the United States. The Garden State is also one of the few US states where all sorts of betting and gambling activities were legalized. When it comes to casino gaming activities in New Jersey, these include land-based casino gambling in one of the most visited cities in the USA Atlantic City alongside online casino gaming activities at many renowned iGaming venues.
When compared to other states and their online gambling and online betting laws, the Garden State is one of the least restrictive in this area. Back in 2013, the state started offering online gambling activities two years after the state’s Legislature passed a new bill that was sponsored by Raymon Lesniak.
This new bill allowed all residents of New Jersey who are at least twenty-one years old to engage in online gambling activities. If you are interested in learning more about the legality of online gambling in the United States, head to AmericaGambles that covers everything from the best USA online casinos, top sportsbooks, to expert guides on online casino games, and more.
The Legality of New Jersey Online Casinos
The very first online casino gaming venues in the state of New Jersey opened their virtual doors in November of 2013. At the time, gaming options were quite limited while today, online casino gamers have loads of different gaming opportunities at major, renowned online casinos. By 2017, the number of online casino games at New Jersey online casinos included hundreds of slots, classic table games, live dealer games, and much more. In June that same year, the state’s online gambling industry generated over USD 100 million in taxes.
Back to the bill sponsored by Mr. Lesniak, the new legislation clearly specified that the gaming sites and their computer servers offering online casino gaming activities must be situated at Atlantic City licensed casinos. However, the bill was vetoed by the state’s Governor Chris Christie which led to a revised bill proposed back in February 2013. According to this revised bill, online casino gambling was legalized for a trial period of ten years. The new, revised bill also limited online gambling activities in the state to eleven casinos at Atlantic City and imposed a bigger 15% tax on gross gambling revenues.
Once the bill was approved by the state’s Legislature, iGaming venues finally opened together via a synchronized launch that same year in November. Since then, all online casino gaming activities within the Garden State’s borders are overseen and regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement that also grants the required licenses and ensures the integrity of the industry. Online casinos are available to Mac, PC, and mobile users alike.
Revenue Records Set in March by NJ Online Casinos
The major law agency responsible for overseeing the New Jersey iGaming industry, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement released a report on gross gaming revenues generated in March by online casinos in the state. According to this official report, online gaming operators in the Garden State won over USD 113 million from the state’s online gamblers. This is the second time that the iGaming industry in the state crossed the USD 100 million milestone generated in a single month.
Back in January this year, the state’s online operators won over USD 103 million. Considering these staggering numbers, March was the most successful month for New Jersey online casinos. On a yearly basis, online gaming activities’ wins increased by around 75% from USD 64 million recorded in 2024 March. When it comes to gross gaming revenues generated by NJ sites in March, they reached over USD 359 million which is a massive increase of over 119% in comparison to gross gaming revenues from March last year.
Despite the fact major sports leagues in the United States and elsewhere paused their regular games, sports betting revenue in the Garden State also increased by over 360%. At the same time, land-based casinos and retail sportsbooks generated smaller profits with a massive 80% drop due to coronavirus pandemic-related restrictions. When it comes to nine New Jersey casinos, the Hard Rock Atlantic City earned over USD 30 million which is a massive 200% increase. Nonetheless, the ultimate winner is Borgata thanks to its earnings of over USD 46 million. The land-based casino industry in the state won over USD 184 million.
Online Casino Revenues by Operators
The report released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement released another report according to which online casino and online poker revenues generated in March reached over USD 113 million. On a year-on-year basis, this represents an increase of 74.5%. As previously mentioned, total gaming revenues in March generated by iGaming venues in the state reached over US4 359 million and according to the official report:
- Slot machine win: USD 134.3 million
- Table game win: USD 50.5 million
- Casino win USD 184.8 million
- Peer-to-Peer: USD 2.6 million
- Other authorized games: USD 110.9 million
- Internet gaming win: USD 113.6 million
- Sports wagering revenue: USD 60.7 million
The highest-grossing online casino is Borgata that overtook its main rival Golden Nugget in March. Back in February 2024, Borgata’s gross online gaming revenues including both poker and online casino reached over USD 25.7 million while Golden Nugget generated over USD 27.9 million. In March this year, Golden Nugget generated gross gaming revenues over USD 31.8 million which is a 14% increase from the previous month. However, Borgata saw its online casino and poker revenues increasing by 27% to reach over USD 36.2 million.
Unlike Borgata and Golden Nugget, Caesars is falling behind with gross gaming revenues from poker and online casino games reaching over USD 9.7 million. This is still an increase from USD 8.5 million in February gross gaming revenues and USD 6.6 million gross gaming revenues from March last year. Hard Rock is also falling behind Borgata and Golden Nugget with March 2024 gross gaming revenues of USD 6 million and the same is true for Ocean Resort that generated just over USD 1.2 million in March gross gaming revenues. Resorts was more successful with gross gaming revenues of USD 21.4 million while Tropicana generated over USD 7.2 million in online gaming win.
