Half of the six states with legal online poker and casino gaming saw record revenue in April, although, as a whole, the combined verticals saw a 2% decline from the record high set one month earlier.
Combined revenue from online poker and casino gaming in Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — coupled with online casino revenue only in Connecticut and West Virginia — stood at $415 million in April. That compares to $423.4 million in March. April represented a 38.2% increase year-over-year, although with one less state in the mix (Connecticut).
Although online poker is legal in Connecticut and West Virginia, neither state has any poker operators.
Michigan hit a record $132.4 million in revenue in April, up 39.6% year-over-year ($94.9 million). Connecticut reported a record $22.8 million in unadjusted revenue, while Delaware did the same at $1.2 million, up 39.8% from the same month last year ($874k).
New Jersey remains the top state in terms of revenue ($136.9 million, up 27% year-over-year), but Michigan came close to dethroning the Garden State in April. Revenue from online poker and casino gaming totaled $113.1 million in Pennsylvania, up 22% from April 2021. West Virginia saw $8.6 million in revenue, more than double the same month last year.
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Online Poker Revenue Down Double Digits in PA and NJ
Online poker revenue was down month-over-month in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It’s unknown how poker did in Michigan because its Gaming Control Board (MGCB) doesn’t separate online poker revenue from online casinos.
Poker operators grossed $2.9 million in Pennsylvania in April, down 10.1% from March ($3.2 million). It was a similar story in New Jersey, where online poker revenue declined 10.9% to $2.3 million in April, down from $2.5 million the previous month. Delaware online poker revenue was $35k in April, down 2.8% from March ($36k).
PokerStars PA maintained its hold as the top poker operator in the Keystone State by grossing $1.8 million in April. In New Jersey, PokerStars NJ remained stuck in third place with $661k in revenue. At the same time, second-place WSOP NJ ($789k) fell just short of overtaking the trio of operators on the Borgata license — BetMGM Poker NJ, Borgata Poker NJ, and partypoker NJ — for first place. Borgata grossed $805k.
Golden Nugget Falls Just Short of First-Place Borgata in NJ
New Jersey online casino revenue totaled $134.6 million in April, down 2.5% from a record $138.1 million in March. Golden Nugget Casino NJ had $38.1 million in revenue in April, falling just short of the record it set the month prior ($38.3 million). Golden Nugget also fell short of snatching first place from Borgata NJ for the first time since April 2021.
Operators on the Borgata casino license — BetMGM Casino NJ, Borgata, Pala, and partycasino NJ — were tops in online casinos with $39.1 million of revenue in April. Bally’s, one of the smaller online casino operators, grossed a record $3 million in April.
In Pennsylvania, online casinos also fell from a record high set the month before. April revenue was $110.2 million, down 4.1% from March’s record $114.9 million.
For the second consecutive month, operators on the Hollywood Casino license — Barstool Casino PA, BetMGM Casino PA, and DraftKings Casino PA — had record revenue in the vertical. The Hollywood trio grossed $45 million in April, compared to $44.8 million in March.
The only other online casino operators that broke records in April were Live! Philadelphia (partnered with Betway Casino PA) and Caesars Interactive. The operators broke records for the second consecutive month, with Betway grossing $3.6 million in April and Caesars bringing in $2.4 million.
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Michigan, Delaware, and Connecticut Break Monthly Records
Michigan’s combined revenue from online poker and casino gaming hit a record high for the third consecutive month. April revenue was $132.4 million, up 0.6% month-over-month ($131.7 million).
Five operators in the Wolverine State also had record highs in April. BetMGM Poker MI — the only one of the five that offers online poker — led the field with $50 million in revenue. FanDuel Casino MI and DraftKings Casino MI didn’t break records during the month but kept their hold on second and third place with $21 million and $19.4 million in revenue, respectively.
Caesars and William Hill online casinos grossed a record $5.9 million. The other operators with record revenue were Golden Nugget ($6.2 million), Pala ($3.1 million), and FireKeepers Casino ($1.3 million). Pala has hit record highs for three consecutive months.
Delaware saw a record $1.2 million in online casino revenue in April, up 22.9% from March ($966k). The Delaware Park racino had a record $598k in revenue from online casino gaming.
In Connecticut, unadjusted gross revenue from online casinos hit a record $22.8 million, up 0.5% from March ($22.6 million). DraftKings Casino was the top online casino operator in Connecticut with $13 million in revenue, but FanDuel Casino had a record $9.7 million in revenue in April.
