Online poker is booming in New Jersey as evidenced by the nearly 20% spike in revenue in July compared to the same month last year.
The Garden State has three legal and licensed internet card rooms in operation – PokerStars (Resorts Atlantic City), BetMGM (Borgata), and WSOP.com (Caesars Atlantic City). New Jersey is one of five states with legal online poker in action, joining Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.
There are many reasons why online poker is so popular in the state. One of those reasons is the access to major tournaments such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) online bracelet events on WSOP.com or the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) at PokerStars NJ.
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Breaking it Down
In total, the state’s three online poker rooms generated $2,699,162, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). For comparison, New Jersey’s poker sites raked in $2,277,272 last July, for an increase of $421,890 or 18.5%.
Going back one year further, the July 2021 revenue $3,072,756, but that’s a bit misleading in comparison to the present due to the lack of a WSOP in Las Vegas that summer. The WSOP was moved to the fall temporarily due to COVID-19 restrictions, and the WSOP.com site in New Jersey hosting bracelet events contributed to the month’s revenue.
The poker site rake last month breaks down as follows – PokerStars/Resorts ($842,865), BetMGM/Borgata ($864,687), and WSOP.com/Caesars ($991,610). In most months, all three sites generate comparable revenue.
There are eight online casinos in New Jersey, but only three offer poker. The state’s total internet gambling revenue cracked $155 million in July, nearly $20 million better than in 2021. Most of that revenue — approximately 98% of it — comes from slots and table games. Poker represents just a fraction of the entire gaming industry. Hence, why most once poker-only sites have added slot machines, sports betting, and table games in recent years.