NJ smashes sports betting record, handling more than $748M in September
Gambling industry in state appeared to bounce back amid coronavirus outbreak
The Garden State is growing more green than expected in the sports betting arena as New Jersey blew past its own historic marks in revenue from the industry, officials said Thursday.
Atlantic City’s nine casinos and three horse racing tracks that offer sports betting handled more than $748 million in bets, the state’s Division of Gambling Enforcement revealed. The mark surpassed the $668 million figure that was wagered in August.
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The U.S. record had originally been $614 million set in Nevada in November 2019.
The Ocean Casino, which sits at the tip of the Atlantic City boardwalk, showed the largest percentage increase in September revenue in the city.
“The combination of Labor Day weekend and the return of indoor dining, limited to 25%, afforded us the opportunity in September to continue the momentum created here at Ocean,” Ocean CEO Terry Glebocki said. “Our guests have enjoyed dining again at their favorite restaurants within our casino resort, and our year-over-year gaming revenue growth of nearly 27% is indicative of the successes we have achieved.”
The gambling industry as a whole won $323.2 million in September, a 6.5% increase over last September as patrons flock back to casinos and the tracks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Casinos are limited to 25% capacity as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.
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Caesars is the only casino in Atlantic City without a sportsbook. Patrons have easy access to the Bally’s sportsbook while walking from Caesars to Bally’s.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.