Growth Continues for New Jersey Gambling Sector
May 29 2025, Published 3:00 a.m. ET
New Jersey is still soaring when it comes to its gambling sector. With revenues hitting $536.6m in April 2025, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has a lot to manage and report on. The monthly figures were released on the 16th of May 2024 and show large growth in the Internet Gaming sector.
Of the total, $232.8 million came from “other authorised games,” which includes slots - an area heavily driven by player promotions like no deposit free spins bonuses. This segment saw a 25.4% year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, online poker contributed $2.4 million, reflecting a more modest 3.2% rise.
New Jersey Continues to be a Leader in Gambling
New Jersey has always been a leader in the gambling industry in the United States. Atlantic City runs second only to Las Vegas as the most well-recognized gambling destination in the US. Atlantic City became a hub in the 1970s, after legislation was passed to legalize casino gambling in the town.
In 2013, New Jersey became a place where online gambling was made legal, despite federal laws surrounding the illegality of gambling online prompting a fight between the two. In 2018, New Jersey was one of the first states to offer legal online gambling under new US federal laws.
Now, seven years later, New Jersey continues to lead the pack among the US’s regulated states' gambling markets. Now, New Jersey is looked to first by other states who are only just embarking on their own forays into regulated online gambling.
Thanks to a seven-year head start, and a five-year head start before that, New Jersey leads the way in gambling market maturity. Each year, New Jersey has reported significant growth in the internet gaming sector, and April 2025 is no different.
The Breakdown of Gambling Revenues
Across April, the breakdown of $510.9m gambling revenues shows $211m coming in from casino hotels, $235.2m for internet gaming, and $90.5m for sports wagering at casinos, racetracks, and partners. The total figure represents a growth of 5% over the same month of the previous year.
However, if we’re talking about growth within each of the sectors, these are disproportionate. For casino hotel revenues, there was a slight decline of 2.7%, and sports wagering saw a decrease of 14.8% year on year. It was only internet gaming, at 21% growth over the previous year, that lifted overall gambling revenues to a growth win.
So, What’s the NJ Internet Gaming Story?
Internet gaming is becoming an unstoppable behemoth. With everyone’s phone at them at all times, a little flutter is never far away - and the gambling revenues are proof that it’s happening. When you look at the revenues for internet gaming for each of the casinos in the state, you’ll see only two line items under type of game: peer-to-peer games and other authorized games.
Peer-to-peer games are games such as poker, where players are competing against one another for a chance to win the pot. These games bring in far less revenue than other authorized games, and some casinos don’t even offer peer-to-peer play.
Under the category of other authorized games, you’ll find table games (but not the peer-to-peer type), live blackjack, roulette, and game shows, plus online slots. While it’s not shown in the reports from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the percentage of revenues from slots is believed to make up a significant number, with speculations of 80% or even higher.
For the year-to-date internet gaming revenues, New Jersey has seen a huge $908.4m for the year to April 2025, with a significant amount of that almost-a-billion-dollars coming in from online slots.
Online Slots Lead in Revenues
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Depending on the type of games you like to play and whether you like to gamble, you might not see the appeal of online slots. It’s a fixed game, with plenty of chances to win but not great outcomes if you take a look overall. There’s no strategy, no collaborative play, and no huge worlds to explore.
But unlike games like Zelda or Call of Duty, slots occupy that place in your brain that loves repetition and a little chance at a win. Slots players might be the same type of casual gamers you’ll see enjoying Candy Crush or other simple phone games. Playing the slots on your phone is considered a simple way to unwind a bit after a hard day, or a treat after going through something stressful.
It’s highly unlikely that slots play will decrease anytime soon. New Jersey’s internet gaming revenues increased a total of 25.2% over the previous year. When you take a look at previous years, the increases are similar - or even much higher. Never underestimate the power of a game in your pocket!
