Market Monitor: New Jersey November 2021
Key Takeaways
  • New Jersey saw revenue from its regulated online poker rooms slip 9.7% to $2.2 million in November.
  • Year-to-year ($2.4 million), online poker revenue was down 8.3% but compared to the pre-pandemic November 2019, it is nearly up 50%.
  • NJ online casino revenue hit $115.8 million in November, down 7.1% month-to-month ($124.6 million) but up 29.4% year-to-year ($89.4 million).

New Jersey saw revenue from its regulated online poker rooms slip 9.7% to $2.2 million in November, marking the vertical’s lowest point in terms of revenue since February 2020 ($1.8 million), according to data from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE).

Traditionally, November is considered the lowest point of the year for online poker in the Garden State before December reverses the trend. The revenues are expected to pick up and hit their peak in January.

Year-to-year ($2.4 million), online poker revenue was down 8.3%. However, compared to the pre-pandemic November 2019, it is up nearly 50%.

All three networks saw a month-to-month decline, but it was markedly sharper for operators on the Borgata license (BetMGM, Borgata, and partypoker). The Borgata team saw revenue plummet 21.3% from October ($933k) and they yielded first place in the market to WSOP after holding the top position for two months.

WSOP, on the Caesars license, had poker revenue of $854k in November, down 2.4% from October ($875k). PokerStars, the Resorts’ licensee, had $607k of revenue, down 2.7% month-to-month ($624k).

Year-to-year, poker was down 8.3% ($2.4 million), but Borgata was the only network to gain market share and revenue, up 4.7% from $702k in November 2020. WSOP was down 10.9% year-to-year from $958k while PokerStars was down 17.5% ($737k).

Borgata has also been adding market share, largely at the expense of Resorts. For comparison, Borgata held 33.5% of the market in November 2021, up from 29.3% one year earlier. Meanwhile, Resorts held 27.7% of the market this November compared to 30.7% in November 2020.

NJ online casino revenue hit $115.8 million in November, down 7.1% month-to-month ($124.6 million) but up 29.4% year-to-year ($89.4 million). While November 2021 revenue was the lowest in the last three months, it was still the ninth consecutive month with revenue above $100 million.

The Borgata licensees in the vertical — BetMGM, Borgata, Pala, and partycasino — had $33 million in revenue in November, down 12.9% from October ($37.9 million) but up an impressive 45.2% year-to-year ($22.7 million).

Golden Nugget — which includes FanDuel, PlaySugarHouse, and other sites — grossed $31.8 million in November, down 7.9% sequentially, but up 22% from one year prior. Resorts licensees — PokerStars, DraftKings, and Barstool, among others — had $27.2 million in revenue, down 5% from October ($28.7 million) but up 34.6% from a year ago ($20.2 million).

According to NJDGE data, the five smaller online casino operators in the Garden State collectively had $23.8 million in revenue, 20.5% of the total. That’s a decline in market share from a year ago when the smallest operators combined for a 22.9% stake and grossed $20.4 million. Despite the market share decline, revenue was still up 16.2% year-to-year.