U.S. Online Casino Revenue Totals $481.5 Million For July
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The six states that offer online casino gaming combined to generate more than $481.5 million in gross revenue for July, a 22.7% increase compared to last year.
The July figure was down 0.1% compared to June’s $482.1 million, with the two months separated by less than $610,000. New Jersey paced the group with nearly $155.2 million, while Michigan was a . Both states had double-digit percentage gains versus July 2022, with the Garden State up 13.5% and the Wolverine State enjoying a 21.3% surge.
Online casino revenue nationally for the first seven months of the year reached $3.45 billion, which is 22.6% higher against the same period from 2022. Despite finishing second to New Jersey for July, Michigan’s $1.09 billion in revenue thus far for 2023 is the nation’s best by $2.2 million.
July’s $95.6 million in taxes generated by online casino gaming in the legalized states was $17.9 million greater than last year, and the $678.6 million in tax receipts for the 2023 calendar year is $131.6 million ahead of 2022’s total for the same period.
NJ, Michigan online operators enjoying banner 2023
July’s revenue total ranked fourth all-time in New Jersey online casino history, and the six times its revenue has topped $150 million have all come in the last eight months. The poker rake of close to $2.7 million was the second-highest total of 2023 and pushed New Jersey’s total above Michigan’s for July.
The Borgata led all Garden State online operators with $43 million in revenue, followed by Resorts Digital at $40.6 million and Golden Nugget coming within $213,000 of that $40 million benchmark. Resorts had a 33.1% surge in year-over-year revenue and accounted for more than half of New Jersey’s $18.5 million increase in year-over-year revenue for July.
Michigan has surpassed $150 million in gross revenue in seven of the past eight months, a run that started last December with a then-record $152.8 million. MGM Grand Detroit continues to be the top revenue generator among online casino suites, with BetMGM reporting nearly $49 million worth of winnings for July, but FanDuel — operating through MotorCity Casino — has been the big mover in Michigan’s year-over-year growth.
MotorCity got back over the $30 million benchmark for the first time since April, which was also a 63.2% improvement versus July 2022. It is part of an impressive year-long surge from FanDuel, whose $213.2 million in year-to-date revenue is 54.7% higher than the opening seven months of last year.
Pennsylvania keeping pace as solid No. 3
The Keystone State had the biggest jump in terms of July year-over-year revenue growth from iGaming, with the $132.9 million generated up 34.2% compared to 2022. That included $54.4 million from a group of operators under PENN Entertainment’s Penn National license, the highest total of any online casino suite nationwide and a 41% increase versus 2022.
Pennsylvania did have a month-over-month decline in revenue, though, with July’s total 1.8% off June’s figure of $135.4 million. Handle was also down compared to June, slipping 0.5% to just over $4.7 billion. Its year-to-date revenue of $959.4 million is more than $200 million above last year’s total through the first seven months of the year, an increase of 26.8%.
A record monthly handle of more than $1.1 billion in Connecticut did not translate into a revenue record, as the combined gross winnings from FanDuel and DraftKings totaled nearly $28.2 million. That was a low for the calendar year but still a 35.5% improvement compared to July 2022.
It was also 10.7% lower than June’s total of $31.6 million, as the hold of less than 2.5% was three-quarters of a percentage point lower. Bettors flocked to DraftKings’ online casino suite as it set a monthly operator record for handle in the Nutmeg State at $733.4 million. That was up 66.9% compared to last year, and the $3.6 million in promotional play accounted for less than 0.5% of the total handle, a low for 2023.
DraftKings could only manage a 1.7% win rate for the month, resulting in $12.3 million in gross revenue. That was up 29.8% year-over-year, but down 8.9% compared to June.
Checking in with the little guys
West Virginia reported nearly $10.5 million in revenue for July, up 23.4% against 2022 numbers from the same month but also down 23.1% compared to June’s $13.6 million. All-time online casino handle surpassed $8 billion in the Mountaineer State after $321 million worth of wagers were placed.
Delaware was the lone state of the sextet to post a year-over-year decline in revenue, as the nearly $1.2 million was 5.7% lower versus 2022. The $36.4 million handle represented a 7.6% decline from the corresponding month last year and was also a low point for 2023 thus far.
