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In October 2017, New Jersey’s online gambling revenue hit the $200 million mark - a huge milestone since the state legalized online gambling in 2013. Now that 2017 has come to a close, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has released the industry’s year-end numbers, which came to a staggering $245 million, making New Jersey the paragon of successful online gambling implementation.
Monthly Highlights
December marked the 10th consecutive month in which New Jersey’s online gambling revenue surpassed $20 million. The highest-earning month in 2017 was March, which brought in $21.7 million.
Online Poker
Online poker has been the sore point in an otherwise glorious year. While New Jersey’s online casino revenue has continuously climbed, its online poker revenue has been on a steady decrease.
As one possible solution to online poker’s poor numbers, New Jersey signed an online poker liquidity agreement with Nevada and Delaware in October 2017. The idea is to widen New Jersey’s potential player pool, which could increase income and create a more attractive option for New Jersey poker players.
NJ Federal Lawmakers Want to Keep Online Gambling Legal
As New Jersey’s successful numbers were released, federal NJ lawmakers from both parties penned a letter to the Department of Justice (DoJ), asking it to continue to uphold the legality of state-regulated online gambling. The letter came in response to a previous letter sent by Senators Lindsey Graham and Dianne Feinstein in November, warning the DoJ of the evils of online gambling.
In 2011, the DoJ ruled that legalizing online gambling is a state’s right, and the states can choose to legalize it or not, as they please. Since then, online gambling opponents have been fighting this ruling, but so far, it has been upheld.
While New Jersey’s successful year isn’t legal proof that online gambling should not be banned by the federal government, it certainly is a model for a successful implementation. And as more and more states look to New Jersey as a paradigm for successful online gambling, they too will jump into the fray, just as Pennsylvania did in 2017. The more states that legalize online gambling, the harder it will be for the DoJ to overturn its 2011 ruling.
