This week’s casino news starts off in New Jersey where the state continues to show growth in the gaming sector. The April revenues have been reported, so let’s dive in.
New Jersey Gambling Numbers See 20% YOY Increase In April
Spring weather has helped the New Jersey gaming revenues continue to blossom. The Garden State continues to post strong numbers in this sector as the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement just announced that total gambling revenue in the state ended up being $422.5 million throughout the month of April 2022. When you compare this total to what the state was able to bring in during April of 2021, it represents a large 20 percent increase.
In general, 2022 has been a successful year for betting in the state of New Jersey. In just the first four months, they have been able to rack up a total of $1.6 billion in revenue. During the first quarter of 2021, New Jersey had only $1.35 billion. That represents a 19 percent increase year over year.
The only true downside of these numbers has been in terms of sports betting. In April, sports betting accumulated $50.3 million. This is an 8.2 percent decrease from April of 2021 when they brought in $54.8 million. Some feel that with the neighboring state of New York legalizing sports betting, they’ve taken some market share away from New Jersey.
Pennsylvania’s Online Casinos Show Strength In April
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has announced that the state brought in $461 million in betting revenue during the month of April. This includes sports betting, slot machines, table games, and internet casino gambling. On top of that, fantasy contests and video gaming terminal revenue were factored in as well, though those realms deliver a very small percentage of the final total.
As expected, retail slot machines were one of the largest contributors. They’re usually the biggest winner for casinos. These machines totaled $217 million throughout April, which was a substantial 8.2 percent increase compared to their total generated back in April of 2021. A good reason for their improved success could have been due to the number of slot machines available in Pennsylvania. The state continues to expand as it had 19,994 slots in rotation at the end of April 2021. Now they have 26,038.
Right behind the slot machines comes the table games and the internet casino. Table games in the state brought in $91 million, a 17.54 percent increase in year-over-year numbers. All of their internet casinos brought in $113 million, a 22 percent increase in year-over-year numbers. Gaming is as strong as ever in the state of Pennsylvania right now.
Oklahoma Sports Betting Bill Dies In Senate
Sports betting appears to be coming to Oklahoma but residents are going to have to wait a little bit longer. There was a bill that had been making its way through legislation and there was hope it would get the green light. The bill was said to legalize sportsbooks at tribal casinos. However, it stalled out in the state Senate for apparent “moral reasons” along with what has been deemed a lack of interest.
One of the major controversies of the bill involved Governor Kevin Stitt. Stitt had been trying to bait tribes into renegotiating a compact deal with the promise of sports betting. That was until the Oklahoma supreme court stepped in and said that he had no authority to offer that kind of a deal.
Matthew Morgan, a chairman of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, believes that this bill was doomed to fail in an election year. He also said that it has a far greater chance of getting passed in a non-election year while lawmakers search for new revenue streams.