Last year proved to be a massive boost to online gaming as the industry celebrated 10 years of operations in the U.S. iGaming closed out the year with a bang that brought some major revenue gains in December.
That included some record numbers in Pennsylvania and Michigan as gamblers continue mixing in sports betting and online gaming with their visits to live casinos as well. Here’s a look at revenue numbers from major U.S. legalized states.
PA Sees Major December iGaming Boost
The numbers continue coming up big for Pennsylvania’s online gaming industry with not only a huge December but also record revenue numbers for 2023 overall. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reported that combined total revenue generated from all forms of gaming for December reached $534.2 million, an increase of 12.5% compared to December 2022.
This was a record monthly high, eclipsing the $515.3 million during March 2023. December also brought all-time monthly revenue highs for:
- iGaming – $165.1 million compared to $159.5 million in September 2023.
- Sports wagering – $72.6 million compared to $63.7 million in November 2021.
Valley Forge Casino was the property leader with December revenue of $92.2 million, a 42.7% increase from 2022. Hollywood Casino grabbed the second-place spot with $75.7 million, up almost 1%.
For PA sports betting, the state saw a total handle of $925.6 million, an increase of 22.6% from last December. That equated to taxable revenue of $72.5 million, a 32.7% increase from last December’s $54.6 million. Here’s a look at revenue numbers from all forms of online gaming by category.
- Online slots – $116.9 million, up 4.9%
- Online table games – $45.8 million, 13.5%
- Online poker – $2.4 million, down 8.7%
- Online sports betting – $67.2 million
The state collected almost $218 million in total games tax revenue in December, with $70.8 million of that coming from online gaming. December revenue numbers exemplify a banner year for the gaming industry in the state.
The PGCB reported a record high in online gaming for 2023 with $5.7 billion in combined revenue from all forms of gaming. Online gaming fueled much of that growth with a 28% increase over 2022. The resulting tax revenue of $2.3 billio from all forms of gaming was also a record exceeded the $2.1 billion generated in 2022.
New Jersey Sees Rise in iGaming Revenue
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) recently unveiled revenue from the casino and online gaming industry. The NJ casinos produced $232.4 million in December, an increase of 7.8% compared to $215.6 million in December 2022. The total for all of 2023 reached $2.85 billion, growth of 2.2% compared to $2.79 billion in 2022.
iGaming revenue for December was $180.3 million, a boost of 19.1% from the $151.5 million for the prior period. For 2023, online gaming revenue was $1.92 billion, rising 15.7% compared to $1.66 billion in 2022.
In the NJ sports wagering arena, gross revenue was $109.4 million for December, a 24.8% surge over the $87.7 million from the same month in 2022.
Total revenue from both live and online gaming was $522.2 million for December, reflecting a 14.8% increase from $454.8 million in December 2022. For all of 2023, all gaming revenue totaled $5.78 billion – a 10.9% jump from $5.21 billion in 2022.
December Brings iGaming Records in Michigan
MI online gaming saw a big month in December with commercial and tribal operators reporting $242.5 million total iGaming gross receipts and sports betting receipts, a 15.9% increase compared to November.
This accounted for $181.4 million for iGaming, topping the previous high of $175.3 million in November 2023. Gross sports betting receipts for December totaled $61.1 million, also a record total that topped $54.1 million from November 2021.
Total MI online sports betting handle was $583 million, the highest internet sports betting handle to date. That’s an increase of 2.5% from the $568.8 million in November.
Operators submitted $36.7 million in taxes and payments to the state of Michigan. The three Detroit casinos reported paying the city $9.4 million in taxes and fees. Tribal operators reported $4.3 million in payments to governing bodies in December.
In 2023, commercial and tribal operators reported a combined $2.3 billion total iGaming gross receipts and gross sports betting receipts. This equated to $1.9 billion from iGaming and $420.4 million from online sports betting, an 18.3% increase over 2022.
