New Jersey Celebrates 4 Years of Online Gambling

On November 26th of 2013, New Jersey became the third US state to launch an online gambling industry, after first Delaware then Nevada. At the time, the move was hailed as an opportunity to lift Atlantic City’s beleaguered gambling industry, and after initial teething problems, it has succeeded in doing just that, with online operations having contributed $119.3 million to state coffers over the years, and currently representing around 10% of New Jersey’s overall casino revenues in 2017.
While the project had its skeptics prelaunch, few can now argue that it has been anything but an unqualified success, with the four-year figures stacking up as follows:
iGambling: $682.6 million in gross revenue
iCasino: $577.96 million (85% market)
iPoker: $103.1 million (15% market)
Commenting upon the impressive figures, PlayNJ.com analysts Steve Ruddock explains:
“Online play has increased the revenues and customer bases of New Jersey’s land-based casino operators. And the residents of New Jersey have benefited from being able to safely gamble online at regulated sites that protect their financial information, offer fair games, and promote responsible play.”
Furthermore, the industry continues to go from strength to strength and this year New Jersey’s online gambling market has already generated $248 million in gross revenue, higher by 26% compared to the same period of time in 2016. In the meantime, Ruddock is predicting even more impressive growth in 2018, especially as the struggling online poker segment is set to receive a much-needed boost after New Jersey agreed to enter into an interstate agreement with Nevada and Delaware. In addition, Pennsylvania‘s is also expected to join the compact after it officially launches its own online gambling and poker market sometime next year.
Meanwhile, the robust state of New Jersey online gambling industry on the eve of its four-year anniversary is sure to incentivize other US states to consider launching online gambling markets of their own. Therefore, 2018 may just be the year when we start seeing a snowball effect, and many of those other states that have been sitting on the fence for some time will finally decide to take the plunge and pass legislation of their own.