Online gaming continues to grow in the country’s major legalized states including some serious growth in November. That included a new record in Michigan for iGaming.
Sports betting saw some dips, however, with some unique circumstances playing a role. Here’s a look at November online gaming results.
Pennsylvania Gaming Dips Overall, But Online Revenue Soars
Gaming totals saw some dips in the Keystone State for November, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). Combined total revenue from all gaming, including slots, table games, online gaming, sports wagering, and video gaming terminals (VGTs), was $444.5 million, a decrease of 1.7% compared to November 2022.
Hollywood Casino led the pack with $66.6 million, a slide of 6.5% from November 2022. Valley Forge took the silver medal with $60.6 million and also took a dip of 6.3%.
For online gaming, Pennsylvania operators brought in $150 million compared to $128.6 million in November 2022, an increase of 22.8%. Tax revenue from PA online gambling was $66.8 million. Here’s a breakdown of online gaming revenue:
- Slots – $109.3 million
- Table games – $46.4 million
- Poker – $2.3 million
In sports betting, total handle set a new monthly record with $934.1 million – 18.4% above the November 2022 total of $789.2 million. However, taxable revenue took a major hit at $12.9 million, 75.6% lower compared to $52.9 million in November 2022.
“The steep drop in revenue occurred due to both the offering of a significant amount of non-taxable promotional play by the newly-launched ESPNBet operated by under the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course sports wagering certificate and a low hold percentage that benefited bettors,” PGCB notes. Here’s are the sports betting revenue totals by category:
- Retail betting – $2.6 million
- Online wagering – $10.3 million
Regulators may be watching to see if sports betting numbers see some changes for December as the race for the NFL playoffs gets underway.
New Jersey Sees Major Online Gaming Growth
Gaming saw increases in November in the Garden State including some big online numbers, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. The state’s nine casinos produced revenue of $214.9 million, an increase of 0.2% compared to $214.5 million in 2022. Year-to-date revenue reached $2.6 billion, growth of 1.8% compared to $2.6 billion for the same period in 2022.
For NJ online gambling, total revenue reached $171.6 million, up 17.4% compared to $146.2 million for the same month in 2022. Year to date, online gaming revenue was over $1.7 billion, up 15.4% compared to $1.5 billion in 2022. Online poker was unchanged from November 2022, checking in at $2.1 million.
For sports wagering, gross revenue was $95.9 million for November, an increase of 19.2% compared to $80.4 million in November 2022. The year-to-date total was $897.2 million, up 32.9% compared to $675.3 million in 2022.
Total live gaming revenue stood at $482.4 million for November, a jump of 9.4% from $441.1 million in November 2022. That equates to $5.3 billion year to date, a 10.5% increase from $4.8 billion for the prior period.
Michigan Sees Small Bump in iGaming, Record for Online Casino
Wolverine State operators reported $209.2 million in online gaming and sports betting gross receipts in November, up 1.9% compared to October. November MI online casino gaming reached $175.3 million, the highest total to date. The previous high of $171.8 million came in March.
Online sports betting gross receipts for November reached $33.9 million, but the picture wasn’t quite so rosy. Combined total iGaming and Internet sports betting adjusted gross receipts (AGR) totaled $150.1 million. That total included $157.8 million from iGaming, but only $294,810 from online sports betting. While online casino saw an increase of 9.4%, online sports betting AGR dropped 98.7% compared to October 2023.
Compared to November 2022 revenues, iGaming casino AGR was up by 20.5% while sports was down 98.9%. Total online sports betting handle reached $568.8 million, up by 6.7% from the $533 million in October. This was the highest sports betting handle to date. It seems the state may have seen the drops because of the ESPNBet launch as well.
Michigan doesn’t break out online poker statistics. Operators reported $33.6 million in taxes and payments to the state for November. All taxes and fees paid included:
- Online casino – $32.9 million
- Online sports betting – $740,056
- Detroit casino taxes and fees – $8.4 million
- Tribal operators – $4.1 million to governing bodies
As of November, 15 commercial and tribal operators have been authorized for iGaming or online sports betting. Currently, 14 offer sports and 15 offer online casino.
