The state of New Jersey continues to outpace its rivals when it comes to betting and gambling revenue, with punters in the Garden State spending a huge $803.1 million during October.
That smashes the previous national and state record of $748.6 million that was raised in September, improving on it by 7.3%. Perhaps more significant, however, is the percentage of that figure that was raised by mobile and online betting.
The online/mobile tally for New Jersey sportsbooks for October was $743,899,049. That figure represents an increase of 9.6% over the previous month’s $678.7 million. It was also 78.4% from October 2019.
Mobile and online sports betting are already massively popular across the world, with punters betting on virtual sports and esports as well as conventional sports. In addition to these new types of betting, lawmakers in NJ recently proposed allowing betting on college sports too – another potentially huge earner of revenue for gambling operators in the Garden State.
That is a very different story to neighbouring New York State. While all four casinos in New York saw their collective grow by 18% when compared with a year ago, the overall totals are still pitiful when compared with neighbouring NJ.
With New Jersey so close to New York, many NY-based bettors simply hop over the border to enjoy some gambling, which is why New York has been trying so hard to get mobile betting to be a presence in the state.
The gross gaming revenue in NY in October totaled $2.6 million, which was an increase of $400,000 from October 2019, and $1.2 million more than was taken in revenue in September 2020. October was the first full month of operation for all four New York casinos since they closed in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
All four NY casinos re-opened on September 9 with full safety protocols in place to protect customers from Covid-19. Rush Street’s Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady topped the list of four when it came to revenue – taking $1,074,631.
In second place was DraftKings’ sportsbook at the del Lago Resort and Casino in Waterloo. That venue took $771,299 in revenue during October, while Resorts World Catskills in Monticello took $470,076. Tioga Downs Casino in Nichols took in revenue of $307,458, which was a massive increase from the $96,164 it took in September.
The new legislation is afoot that could put New York in a much stronger position when compared with New Jersey. Provisions for online and mobile betting are part of a revenue package set to be voted on soon.
A standalone bill allowing mobile sports betting was passed by the New York Senate last year. It still needs to pass the state assembly, though. New York State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., a Democrat who is chairman of a committee on racing, gaming, and wagering, has asserted that it will receive sufficient votes to pass.
