The numbers are in for New Jersey’s May 2015 online gaming revenue, and there are definitely some good and bad points to the latest report. The good is that things are looking much better than a year ago; the bad includes yet another drop for online poker. This being said, let’s look at all the numbers and discuss where New Jersey iGaming appears headed.
The Bad: May New Jersey iGaming Numbers were down
Total = $12.5 million
Online Casino Games = $10.5 million
Online Poker = $1.92 million
The first thing worth noting here is that, when compared to April 2015 ($12.7m), New Jersey online gaming revenue was down slightly. Online Casino games pulled in over $10.5 million in May, which is less than the $10.7 million earned by iGaming operators in April. As for poker, the May rake of $1.92 million is a little less than the $1.98 million collected in April.
It should be little surprise that both figures were down in May, considering that it’s a common trend for declining online gaming numbers as the weather gets warmer. So around a $200k drop overall isn’t anything to get alarmed about.
The Good: May 2015 crushed May 2014
The most impressive thing about the latest report is the comparison between this and last year’s May. In May 2014, New Jersey iGaming sites made $10.5 million, with $8.2 million coming from casino games and $2.27 million coming from online poker. But May 2015 ($12.5m) marked a 19% increase from May 2014 ($10.5m).
The only negative to report here is that iPoker was down overall, since May 2015’s $1.92 million rake didn’t measure up to last year’s $2.27 million.
What to expect this Summer
It’s only going to get hotter in New Jersey over the months of June, July and August. And as mentioned before, international trends show a decline as it continues warming up across the world. The Garden State doesn’t figure to be any different, especially since it’s a big vacation destination and their residents will be enjoying the beach more than online poker tables.
At best, we can hope for New Jersey iGaming revenue to stay around the same in the summer, before picking back up again in the fall. And if they ever sign a compact with another state, then we should expect some major growth moving forward.