Recent revenue data indicated that over the past three years, New Jersey’s online poker sites have consistently outperformed those in Pennsylvania. The data suggested that Pennsylvania’s segregated online poker market is stagnating, while New Jersey continues to benefit from its broader liquidity.

In March, New Jersey’s online poker market experienced a slight decline compared to the same month last year but still demonstrated strong performance.

New Jersey is home to five legal poker sites, each licensed by one of three Atlantic City casinos: Borgata, Caesars, and Resorts World. As in previous years, the PokerStars (Resorts), WSOP.com (Caesars), and Borgata networks (which also include BetMGM and partypoker) are the primary revenue generators in the state.

New Jersey’s revenue decline in March

Although New Jersey’s poker revenues in March 2024 decreased compared to March 2023, the decline was not significant. April and subsequent months are expected to show improved results for New Jersey poker sites.

According to data from the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE), the state’s five poker sites collectively generated $2,358,271 in revenue in March, a 5.3 percent decrease from March 2023.

As usual, PokerStars led the revenue charts, collecting $822,378 in rake, though this was down 13.8 percent from the previous year. WSOP.com, which benefits from a joint liquidity agreement with Nevada, generated $712,795, down 7 percent. The trio of Borgata poker sites earned $823,098, marking a 6.8 percent increase.

New Jersey online poker revenue for March 2024

Despite the slight year-over-year decline in March, the coming months are expected to be strong for New Jersey. This optimism is partly driven by the regular PokerStars Championship of Online Poker series, which attracts a large number of players.

Five states with legal online poker

New Jersey is currently one of only five U.S. states where online poker is legal, along with Nevada, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Players physically located within New Jersey can play for real money on one of the six poker sites approved by the NJDGE. Three of these sites were part of the first wave of regulated platforms launched in November 2013.

On May 1, 2018, some New Jersey poker sites began sharing liquidity with sites in Nevada and Delaware. Currently, the WSOP/888 Network is the only network in New Jersey that allows players from multiple states to compete, but many anticipate that the PartyPoker/Borgata/BetMGM network will eventually expand to Nevada.

Pennsylvania, the largest state to legalize online poker, began allowing its residents to participate in the multistate agreement in 2019.

Five years of legalisation in Pennsylvania

Online poker officially launched in Pennsylvania in November 2019 with the introduction of PokerStars PA, the state’s first regulated poker site. Pennsylvania poker players finally had access to a legal, regulated site to play on.

Among all the U.S. states where online poker is legally available, Pennsylvania boasts the largest population, with nearly 13 million residents. This makes it a highly promising market for operators, with potential for significant future developments.