US Online Casino And Poker Revenue Surged In May

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The COVID-19 pandemic forced retail casinos nationwide to keep their doors closed throughout May 2020. Online casino and poker revenues, however, continued to climb. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware all realized all-time records in monthly revenue in May. Online poker revenues stayed strong as well, as poker players in the US turned to state-regulated platforms in big numbers.

New Jersey Online Casino Revenue May 2020 *

Retail OperatorOnline SkinsMay 2020 RevenueMonth-Over-Month ChangeYTD RevenueYear-Over-Year Change
Golden Nugget Atlantic CityGolden Nugget, Betfair, SugarHouse, BetAmerica$29,057,893+5.1%$120,985,559+86.0%
Resorts Digital GamingResorts, Mohegan Sun, FOX Bet, DraftKings Casino$15,918,179+13.3%$71,673,003+95.4%
Borgata Hotel CasinoBorgata, BetMGM, PartyCasino, Pala Casino$15,645,422+6.8%$59,269,269+127.4%
Caesars InteractiveCaesars, Harrah’s, 888 Casino$7,647,094+11.4%$26,745,775+16.1%
Tropicana Casino & ResortTropicana, Virgin Casino$6,695,297+11.8%$26,041,142+42.5%
Hard Rock Atlantic CityHard Rock, Unibet, Bet365$5,414,882+20.8%$18,505,091+131.4%
Ocean Casino ResortOcean Online Casino, Parx Casino$1,044,646-7.6%$3,793,190+65.2%
Totals$81,423,413+8.8%$327,012,999+82.3%
*Revenue figures do not include online poker.

Another Record Month For New Jersey Online Casinos

With retail casinos still shut down for most of the month, New Jersey’s online casinos continued to surge. According to reports released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), online casinos in New Jersey posted a record $81,423,413 in total overall revenue in May. That figure marked an 8.8% increase over April 2020, which set the previous revenue record at $74,811,453. Golden Nugget Atlantic City maintained its status as the leader in revenue earning by operator, taking in $29,057,893. Golden Nugget’s self-branded online casino, as well as Betfair Casino, continue to drive those numbers under the Golden Nugget operator license. Six of New Jersey’s seven online casino operators realized revenue gains over April, and all seven are up big versus May 2019 year totals. New Jersey online casinos have earned over $327 million in revenue so far in 2020, an 82.3% increase over May 2019 year-to-date totals.

New Jersey Online Poker Revenue May 2020

Retail OperatorOnline SkinsMay 2020 RevenueMonth-Over-Month ChangeYTD RevenueYear-Over-Year Change
Resorts Digital GamingPokerStars NJ$1,746,417-16.0%$6,139,999+80.7%
Caesars InteractiveWSOP, 888$1,745,755-6.2%$6,780,093+80.7%
Borgata Hotel CasinoBorgata, partypoker NJ, BetMGM, Pala Poker$1,024,357-15.5%$4,002,937+98.4%
Totals$4,516,529-12.3%$16,923,029+86.7%

New Jersey Poker Players Still Hitting The Online Streets

May 2020 marked the second-highest revenue-earning month ever for New Jersey’s legal online poker sites. Numbers were down a bit from the all-time high set in April 2020, when New Jersey poker platforms pulled in over $5.1 million in revenue. Still, online poker in New Jersey continues to perform well, with $4,516,629 in revenue. New Jersey’s online poker sites are up 86.7% in revenue over May 2019 year-to-date totals. PokerStars NJ held its position as the most popular online poker site for New Jersey players.

Pennsylvania Online Casino Revenue May 2020*

Retail OperatorOnline SkinsMay 2020 RevenueMonth-Over-Month ChangeYTD Revenue
Rivers Casino PhiladelphiaSugarHouse, BetRivers$17,584,381+28.3%$46,353,748
Valley Forge Casino ResortFanDuel Casino$8,029,446+1.2%$29,687,883
Parx CasinoParx Casino$6,873,540+67.1%$17,712,946
Mount Airy Casino ResortFOX Bet$6,292,630+21.1%$17,034,531
Penn National Hollywood CasinoHollywood Casino$5,287,708+15.3%$17,219,753
Penn National DraftKings CasinoDraftKings Casino$3,704,507N/A$3,733,923
Mohegan Sun PoconoUnibet$2,401,843+31.0%$6,547,918
Presque Isle Down and CasinoBetAmerica$137,001-36.0%$854,424
Harrah’s PhiladelphiaCaesars$931,315N/A$1,162,779
Totals$51,242,371+35.4%$140,307,905
*Revenue figures do not include online poker.

Big Numbers For PA Online Casinos

Much like the neighboring state of New Jersey, Pennsylvania enjoyed record-setting revenue totals in May. Figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) saw a more than 35% percent revenue increase across all platforms from April to May. DraftKings Casino, in its first full month of operation, brought in more than $3.7 million under its license partnership with Penn National Gaming. May 2020 also marked the first full month for Caesars Online Casino, which earned $931,315. Rivers Casino Philadelphia continued its reign as the top online casino operator in Pennsylvania, with more than $17.5 million in revenue. Retail casinos were shut down across the state throughout May, but are reopening in June. With live casinos closed for much of 2020, total revenue for Pennsylvania online casinos went over $140 million going into June.

Pennsylvania Online Poker Revenue May 2020

Retail OperatorOnline SkinMay 2020 RevenueMonth-Over-Month ChangeYTD Revenue
Mount Airy Casino ResortPokerStars PA$4,596,418-12.5%$16,970,364

PokerStars PA Still Strong

One month after setting an all-time US record for monthly online poker revenue, PokerStars PA followed up with another strong showing in May. Pennsylvania’s lone legal online poker operator came in at just under $4.6 million in May revenue. That total fell short of April’s all-time high, in which PokerStars PA earned more than $5.25 million. Since debuting in November 2019, PokerStars PA has brought in nearly $17 million in revenue.

Delaware Online Casino Revenue May 2020

Online OperatorOnline SkinsMay 2020 RevenueMonth-Over-Month ChangeYTD RevenueYear-Over-Year Change
888 CasinoDelaware Park, Dover Downs, Harrington$1,040,927+$34.8%$2,921,009+124%

Delaware Online Poker Revenue May 2020

Online OperatorOnline SkinsMay 2020 RevenueMonth-Over-Month ChangeYTD RevenueYear-Over-Year Change
888 PokerDelaware Park, Dover Downs, Harrington$93,973+11.8%$297,844+152.8%
The trend of big growth in state-regulated online gambling carried over to Delaware in May. Online casinos set an all-time state record, with revenues going into seven-figure territory for the first time since the industry launched in Delaware in November 2013. The Delaware Lottery reported May revenues of $1,040,927, a nearly 35% increase over April 2020. April’s total of $772,148 was itself an all-time record before the May numbers pushed the mark even higher. Online poker in Delaware grew nearly 12% from April, with May revenue totals reaching $93,973. Delaware’s online casino and poker offerings are consolidated on a single platform, operated by 888.

About the Author

Geoff Fisk

Geoff Fisk

Geoff Fisk is a San Diego-based freelance writer, specializing in the poker and gambling industries. He’s written for numerous platforms and has traveled the globe as a live poker tournament reporter. Geoff is an avid sports fan, but poker is his passion.
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