The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has reported a 58.4% year-on-year decline in sports betting revenue in March, primarily due to the widespread shutdown of sports events as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.
However, the state’s online gaming market enjoyed a particularly strong month, with poker the standout performer.
Sports betting revenue amounted to $13.2m last month, down from $31.7m in March 2019 and also 22.4% lower than $17.0m in February of this year.
Players in the state wagered a total of $181.9m on sports in March, a decline of 51.2% from $372.5m last year, with betting options severely limited due to the majority of sports events being postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic.
Consumers spent $163.4m wagering on sports via the internet, in addition to $18.5m at retail locations across the state.
Meadowlands, with sub-licensees FanDuel and PointsBet, remained the market leader in March, posting $5.9m in sports betting revenue, compared to $17.6m in the same month last year.
Resorts Digital, which hosts DraftKings and Fox Bet under its New Jersey license, followed close behind on $5.1m in revenue, down 30.1% from March 2019.
No other operator in the state was able to post sports betting revenue in excess of $1m for the month, Monmouth Park coming the closest, recording $849,040 in revenue for March.
Despite sports betting suffering from Covid-19, New Jersey’s online gaming market appeared to benefit, as it remains fully operational during the outbreak.
Revenue from igaming amounted to $64.8m in March, representing an increase of 65.6% on $39.1m in the corresponding month last year. Peer-to-peer games – poker – saw the most growth, with revenue up 90.6% to $3.6m, while other authorised games revenue climbed 64.4% to $61.2m.
The Golden Nugget retained top spot in the New Jersey igaming market in March, with revenue rising 63.8% year-on-year to $23.3m. Resorts Digital followed with $13.5m, then the Borgata on $12.2m for the month.
In terms of land-based casino, with all casinos having been forced to shut in the middle of the month due to coronavirus, this pushed revenue down by 61.7% year-on-year to $85.5m.
Land-based slots revenue fell by 64.5% to $57.7m, while table games revenue was also down 54.1% to $27.8m.
Total gaming revenue in the state for March amounted to $163.5m, down 44.4% from $294.0m last year, while overall market revenue for the year-to-date was also down by 1.8% to $751.3m.