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When talking about NJ sports betting numbers for January, the biggest question is how big a role would the NFL playoffs play?
Based on numbers released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement on Wednesday, it’s clearly a very big one to the tune of a record handle of $385,279,662 million.
For comparison purposes, the more established Nevada sports betting market reported a January 2015 handle of $387 million. And in January 2018, Nevada’s handle was $419 million.
Here is an amazing stat for you: Nevada sports betting handle for January in 2015: $387 million. https://t.co/LNxz30Vdz5
— Warren Jones (@DustinGouker) February 13, 2019
Remember, the NJ sports betting market is only in its ninth month of existence. That moment when New Jersey will top Nevada as the biggest sports betting state might come sooner than expected.
The total NJ sports betting revenue for January came in at $18,774,940, a slight tick down from December.
Football + online betting = record handle
Breaking down the numbers, the handle from the 11 NJ online sportsbooks in operation in January came in at an eye-catching $304,973,986.
The 10 retail sportsbooks, on the other hand, accounted for $80,305,676.
Here is a breakdown of NJ sports betting revenue in January:
| Property (Online) | Online Revenue | Retail Revenue | January Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bally's (Caesars, 888) | $260,290 | $236,370 | $496,660 |
| Borgata (playMGM) | $41,897 | $635,564 | $677,461 |
| Golden Nugget | -- | $27,287 | $27,287 |
| Hard Rock (Hard Rock online) | $25,235 | -- | $25,235 |
| Harrah's | -- | $20,615 | $20,615 |
| Meadowlands (FanDuel, PointsBet) | $5,850,117 | $1,168,063 | $7,018,180 |
| Monmouth (William Hill, now Caesars, SugarHouse) | $1,171,980 | $830,792 | $2,002,772 |
| Ocean Resort (William Hill) | $1,285,576 | ($14,287) | $1,271,289 |
| Resorts (DraftKings, BetStars, Resorts Online) | $6,893,983 | $242,636 | $7,136,619 |
| Tropicana (William Hill) | $196 | $98,626 | $98,822 |
| TOTAL | $15,529,274 | $3,245,666 | $18,774,940 |
January included the college football National Championship Game along with three weekends of NFL playoff games.
In terms of overall football betting, the year to date sports wagering win came in at $7,618,440. The reported year to date football handle was $82,101,131.
DraftKings and FanDuel lead, everyone else follows
DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook continue to play a major role in the success of NJ sports betting.
In terms of online sports betting, Resorts Digital ended January with $6,893,983 — the majority of which comes via DraftKings. BetStars NJ also operates under the Resorts license but its share of the revenue is estimated to be smaller compared to DraftKings.
The Resorts-branded online sportsbook launched on Jan. 31, so it didn’t really factor into the total online revenue. However, with the addition of DraftKings retail sportsbook, Resorts total revenue ends up at $7,136,619.
FanDuel, via its partnership with the Meadowlands Racetrack, reported $7,018,180 ($5,850,117 of which came from online wagers). The overall number includes the PointsBet NJ online sportsbook that had a soft launch on Dec. 11.
And with that, DraftKings and FanDuel (with its partners) hold a commanding lead in the market.
FanDuel released a statement on Wednesday following the DGE announcement:
“FanDuel Sportsbook started the year very strongly, maintaining its market-leading position in the state. More than half New Jersey’s total handle in January across both retail and online channels was generated by the FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook’s online revenue also increased for the fourth month in a row.
“It was another great month for bettors with College Bowl season and the NFL Playoffs, and the first month where customers had access to live in-app streaming of the Australian Open.”
The other big player? William Hill
William Hill (Caesars NJ) continues to be a big player in the NJ sports betting market, too, with retail locations at Ocean Resort, Tropicana, and Monmouth Park.
The latter once again enjoyed another strong month with $2,002,772 in total revenue, $1,171,980 of which came from online betting via the William Hill app.
But it’s not all roses for William Hill sportsbooks.
The William Hill Sportsbook at the Tropicana, which is currently a temporary location, reported $98,626 sports betting revenue, a loss of $600.
The William Hill Sportsbook at Ocean Resort, on the other hand, reported a loss of $14,287. Ocean Resort is in the process of going through an ownership change following seven months of losses totaling $23 million.
Hard Rock Sportsbook finally launches
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino got into the game just days before Super Bowl betting came into play.
The company launched both mobile and retail sports betting the final week of January and generated $25,235 in sport betting revenue. That number includes both online and retail.
From the DGE:
“Note: Pending the results of final reports and associated audits, both Online and Retail sports wagering are included in Sports Wagering – Internet gross revenue for the month of January.”
By comparison, Harrah’s, which has a temporary retail sportsbook, produced just $20,615, and that’s for a full month. It’s been open since August 2018.
Besides February being the first full month for Hard Rock sports betting, there will be an additional measuring stick: Super Bowl betting and Oscars betting.
New Jersey is the only state offering legal betting on the Academy Awards, a unique market if there ever was one. Add in the $34,894,900 handle from Super Bowl betting, and sports bettors’ love of online betting, and it could be another big sports handle for February.