Online poker and casino revenue from three US states — Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — reached nearly $3.6 billion in 2021, cementing the trio as a powerhouse for both verticals.
Operators in the three states combined for $3,593,958,327 in 2021, according to revenue data from regulators in all three states. New Jersey led the trio with $1.4 billion in revenue, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE). Meanwhile, Michigan and Pennsylvania were tied at $1.1 billion, data from the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) show.
The figures equate to a monthly average of $113.9 million in New Jersey, and $92.8 million in both Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The MGCB does not separate poker revenue from online casino revenue. Since the verticals are not separated, it’s not possible to calculate how much poker contributed to the final total for revenue.
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December a Good Month for All Three States
In Michigan and New Jersey, the most profitable month of 2021 for online poker and casinos was December, at $133.2 million and $121.8 million, respectively. Pennsylvania’s best month was October when it grossed $102.9 million in the verticals. October and December were the only months where online poker and casino revenue was above the $100 million mark in all three states.
New Jersey was above $100 million for every month of 2021, except for February ($93.8 million). Michigan got above that mark for the last four months of 2021, while Pennsylvania exceeded it in May, October, and December. All three states ended the year on the upswing, with Michigan ($121.8 million) and New Jersey ($133.2 million) posting record numbers in December.
The three states have also trended higher in terms of revenue as the year went on. Revenue declined for all three states on only three occasions: between March and April, between May and June, and between October and November.
BetMGM Tops in MI
Although there were different operators at the top of each vertical in all three states, the usual names were near the top of the list.
In Michigan, BetMGM Casino MI was, by far, the top operator for poker and online casino for every month of 2021, grossing a record $46 million in December. For the full 2021, the operator grossed $417.1 million.
FanDuel Casino MI and DraftKings Casino MI were in a distant second and third place, respectively, throughout the entire year — switching back and forth several times. Both had $16.8 million in revenue in December, but FanDuel had $184.7 million in annual revenue while DraftKings was just a tick behind at $184.5 million.
WSOP MI has yet to launch in the state.
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WSOP, Borgata Lead Verticals in NJ
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, two trends held throughout 2021 — WSOP NJ was tops in online poker and operators on the Borgata license were tops in the online casino vertical.
WSOP NJ finished the year as the top poker operator in December, but just barely, after grossing $849k. Operators on the Borgata license for poker — BetMGM Poker NJ, Borgata Poker NJ, and partypoker NJ — were second with $803k in revenue, followed by PokerStars NJ in third at $686k.
But in the casino vertical, BetMGM Casino NJ, Borgata Casino NJ, Pala, and partycasino NJ led for a combined $36.2 million in gross revenue in December. Golden Nugget — in partnership with FanDuel Casino NJ, PlaySugarHouse, and others — was second with $36 million. In third place at $32.2 million, were the operators on the Resorts Casino license — Stars Casino NJ, DraftKings Casino, and Barstool Casino NJ, among others.
PokerStars, Hollywood Partners Lead in PA
Although the first 17 months of Pennsylvania’s online poker market was a monopoly for PokerStars PA, the market matured in 2021 through the addition of three more operators. Monthly revenue stayed afloat and trended toward post-pandemic growth.
That said, PokerStars PA still led the poker vertical throughout 2021 and ended the year by grossing $2 million in December. WSOP PA was a distant second at $640k, but has settled in, as PokerStars’ most consistent, largest competitor since launching in July.
BetMGM Poker PA was third at $289k in revenue in December, followed by Borgata Poker PA with $90k.
In Pennsylvania’s online casino vertical, licensees tied to Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course license — BetMGM Casino PA, DraftKings Casino PA, and Barstool Casino PA — grossed $40.2 million in December.
The group of Borgata Casino PA, BetRivers Casino PA, and SugarHouse Casino PA were second with $26 million in revenue. They were followed by a second group — FanDuel Casino PA and Stardust Online Casino — with $18.5 million. The former group consists of licensees on the Rivers-Philadelphia Casino license, while the latter are on the license for Valley Forge Casino.
