It’s been over three years since sports betting came to the Garden State. It was a huge shift for a state with such sporting pedigree. The New Jersey Devils, NY Red Bulls, the Jets, and Giants all reside in this state.
During this time, New Jersey’s gaming scene has evolved to the point that the industry now offers casino and poker games and sports betting both online and in offline retail settings. New Jersey’s sports betting industry alone handled wagers breaking the $1bn barrier for the first time in September 2021.
Official data from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) disclosed that $918.4m of the $1.01bn handled was processed via online sportsbooks, with the remaining $92.7m handled at the nine casinos and three racetracks with licensed retail sportsbooks. In terms of gross profit from retail sports betting, New Jersey’s land-based casinos and racetracks raked in $82.4m in September 2021, up from $45m in the previous year.
In terms of the state’s iGaming scene, New Jersey posted record iGaming revenues in September 2021 totalling $122.6m, up 39.9% year-on-year. Online casino games attributed for $120.1m of that total revenue, with leading operators such as BetMGM, Resorts Digital and Golden Nugget vying for supremacy. With the competition for online casinos hotting up in the Garden State, it’s no surprise to see a growing contingent of welcome offers from sites vying for attention. The most common bonus remains free real money slot games, with some operators offering up to 250 free spins on any slot title.
North America’s leading iGaming firms embark on New Jersey for SBC Summit North America
New Jersey’s Meadowlands Exposition Center is also playing center stage for this fall’s SBC Summit North America, bringing together senior executives of the leading operators in the world of regulated sports betting and iGaming – including a host of the US’ leading tribal casinos. With the Garden State lighting the way in terms of revenues and iGaming innovation, it makes complete sense for Meadowlands to be the setting for discussing the next generation of iGaming technology.
The SBC Summit North America comprises eight separate tracks covering some of the industry’s most pressing talking points, including payments, marketing, innovation, and investments. Three keynote speakers at the heart of the US iGaming scene have been revealed, with the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), Bill Miller, the biggest name. Miller will be joined by Bally’s chair of the board of directors, Soo Kim, and Caesars Entertainment’s board member, Jan Jones Blackhurst.
The SBC Summit North America also sees a trade show scheduled to run in parallel with the conference. This show will be a platform for iGaming software suppliers to showcase the next generation of mobile and omnichannel gaming technologies. There is no doubt that New Jersey is the undisputed capital for iGaming stateside. The sheer fact that the 12 highest months in terms of US-based betting volumes are all recorded in the Garden State is further proof of its strength and ongoing potential for the future.