Revenue figures are in for the US iGaming states, and American online casino gamblers broke records in November 2023. Considering the top three iGaming states are on pace to bring in about $2 billion each this year, online casino gambling interest seems to have outlasted coronavirus blahs.
Pennsylvania’s $191.9 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) was the highest in the nation and the most the Keystone State has ever generated. Michigan and New Jersey also made history, bringing the GGR in the Big Three iGaming states to $538.8 million — nearly $25 million more than in October 2023.
GGR, or what Americans wager minus the amount they win, continues to grow in legal online casino states. That means the common belief that online casino gambling was a pandemic pastime — AKA, a fluke of timing — appears to be fading.
Marketers and researchers agree that part of the reason for that phenomenon is Americans have channel preferences, and they tend to stick with them. That means that online gamblers, who tend to skew young, like betting on their smartphones. Terrestrial gamblers, usually older, prefer to traipse across casino floors. So, while there’s some crossover, most gamblers stay in their lanes.
That’s reflected in the current online casino and poker revenue picture.
Pennsylvania’s online casino marketplace launched in July 2019, about eight months before pandemic shutdowns took effect in March 2020. May 11, 2023, was the “official” end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yet the record-breaking November 2023 revenue figure announced on Dec. 19, 2023, by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) significantly outpaced November 2020’s $72.4 million.
In New Jersey, where residents have known about its online casino and poker rooms since they launched in 2013, its November 2023 $171.6 million in GGR was also the Garden State’s all-time high. November 2020’s total was $91.8 million. November 2013? $980,165.
On Dec. 15, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) said year-to-date GGR was $1.74 billion. In other words, that number doesn’t yet include December 2023 revenue.
John A. Pappas, senior vice president of government and public affairs at GeoComply, took note on X:
Data of the Day: Nov 2023 iGaming in NJ produced $171m in operator revenue and more than $25m in tax revenue – in just one month! Compare that to 2014 when operators produced only $123m in revenue and less than $20m in taxes for the entire year! h/t @SteveRuddock for info.
— John A Pappas (@yanni_dc) December 19, 2023
American Online Casino Gamblers in ‘New’ States
Michigan online casino and poker room gamblers created $175.3 million in GGR during November 2023.
On Dec. 19, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) reported that that “highest to-date” revenue beat November 2022 by 20.5%.
Bonus keeps track of each month’s revenue, and Michigan didn’t have a November 2020 GGR. Because the state’s online gambling marketplace launched on Jan. 22, 2021.
Likewise, Connecticut allowed its residents to play online casino games beginning on Oct. 19, 2021.
Nutmeggers generated $38.3 million in GGR during November 2023, $1.8 million more than October’s $36.5 million.
Lest that increase appear to be an anomaly, the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Gaming Division likes to illustrate the revenue growth of DraftKings Casino and Mohegan Sun with a bar chart.
Mohegan Digital‘s figures are in blue, and DraftKings‘ (DraftKings 38,24 +1,16%) are in red:
American Online Casino Fluctuations
Although the overall US online casino revenue trend is upward, some months show dips.
Perhaps no state illustrates that better than West Virginia, where the November 2023 GGR was $14.4 million. That’s down from $15.9 million in October 2023. However, the November 2023 total is 30% higher than the $11.1 million GGR in November 2022.
If the West Virginia Lottery also employed bar charts, the revenue would appear to be steadily climbing since West Virginia online casino gambling launched in 2020. The first GGR was $523,493 in July 2020.
Another state lottery announced Delaware’s November 2023 revenue was $1.1 million. That GGR had uncharacteristically slipped below $1 million in October 2023, when the Delaware Lottery reported $982,989 for the month.
Part of that slip may be due to the lottery’s casino partner transition. Rush Street Interactive (RSI) was scheduled to take over 888‘s role on Nov. 1, but RSI (Rush Street Interactive 10,07 +0,70%) then said it would do so in “early winter.”
Meanwhile, RSI’s Nov. 1 Q3 2023 Investor Presentation mentioned Delaware’s potential three times, including mentioning RSI is its “exclusive operator.”
So, that 10-year-old online casino marketplace appears to be back on track.
A Few Bullet Points
Bonus is happy to be a resource. However, please cite and link to the publication when sharing the data.
More information is available below:
- 2023 online gambling revenue projections are original calculations performed by Bonus News Managing Editor Alex Weldon. Please cite Bonus and Alex Weldon if reporting projected numbers or market performance compared to the projections.
- West Virginia reports revenue weekly, not monthly. Its monthly totals are an estimate, assuming that revenue for partial weeks is distributed evenly between the seven days.
- Pennsylvania only reports adjusted revenue (gross revenue, less promotional spending). Bonus calculates gross slots revenue by subtracting payouts from coin in, but no such data is available for table games and poker. Therefore, actual gross revenue is probably somewhat higher than what we report.
Previous Monthly Trends
- May 2023—Connecticut Online Casinos Exceed Expectations
- June 2023—US Online Casinos Win $3.1B in H1, May Approach $6.5B Full-Year Forecast
- July 2023—US Online Casino Industry on an Even Keel Through Summer Doldrums
- August 2023—Pennsylvania Online Casinos Win $172 Million as Fall Upswing Starts Early
- September 2023—US Online Casino Revenue Growth Is Accelerating for the First Time in Years
- October 2023—West Virginia Online Casinos Surge in October, Change in Market Leadership Likely
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