AIMING HIGH: June Online Poker Numbers Decline, But Remain Strong
New Jersey and Pennsylvania online casino numbers came back to reality a bit in June. Despite a decline, all three states continue to show impressive numbers.
The states may have seen their peaks, but still show impressive growth overall for online poker and gaming in general.
New Jersey sees decline in online poker, but revenue continues hitting big totals
The New Jersey online poker curve seems to be flattening, dropping 22% from May to June. Online poker operators brought in $3.5 million in revenue. Even though that total is down month over month, this is still double the revenue this time last year.
WSOP.com still holds the gold medal for poker revenue. The site totalled $1.3 million in June, up 61% year over year but down 17.7% from May.
The site is currently in the middle of its bracelet series, WSOP Online. That should bring big numbers for WSOP.com in July’s report.
WSOP.com is the only regulated online poker site operating in a shared liquidity market. That includes Nevada and New Jersey, and also with its software partner 888poker in NJ and Delaware.
PokerStars finished up the month with $1.2 million in revenue, good for second in the market. This is a 129% increase year over year.
The site is currently running the Bounty Builder Series alongside its Pennsylvania platform. Both are “fenced-in” markets, meaning players only play against others in the state.
PartyPoker and its BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM skins combined for $914,503 in June. Even with the lowest revenue of the poker operators, the site saw the highest percentage growth year over year.
The site also had the smallest decline month over month. Party partnered with the World Poker Tour in June for a big series. That certainly added to the site’s totals.
A look at New Jersey sports betting and online casino numbers
With sports like the UFC, MLB, and MLS slowly returning, NJ sports betting is up 40% since May. The state produced $165 million in handle for June, $12.6 million in casino revenue.
NJ online casinos had one of their best months ever in June. Operators brought in $84 million in June with $81.3 million coming from slots and table games.
The Golden Nugget continued to be the top dog in the industry, bringing in $29 million in revenue.
In July, gamblers have had the opportunity to get back to live gaming. Gov. Phil Murphy (D) gave the okay for Atlantic City casinos reopening on July 4 weekend.
Casinos have been closed since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. With the reopenings it will be interesting to see how much that affects online gaming.
And even though casinos have begun reopening, Atlantic City poker rooms are still closed.
PA numbers still showing strength as more operators look to enter market
PokerStars brought in $3.2 million in revenue in June, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. PokerStars currently holds an online poker monopoly in the Keystone State, but that looks to be changing soon.
Additional operators are looking to get in on the action. Partypoker looks to enter the market in August, with WSOP.com also debuting by the fall.
Since launching in November 2019, PokerStars PA has brought in over $24 million in revenue.
In total, Pennsylvania online casinos grossed $49.9 million in June among all slot, poker, and table games. That was the second biggest month in state history.
A majority of live casinos are also now open in PA. All casinos have guidelines requiring:
- mask usage
- no indoor smoking
- limited capacity
- enhanced social distancing measures
With casinos reopening, expect to see some declines in the online casino market.