The coronavirus may have had a negative impact on the overall gambling industry in the United States, but for some states, it was a blessing in disguise for their online poker branches.
In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the states were able to record their biggest online poker revenue to date, showing that players were looking for ways to continue their poker entertainment in any way possible.
Pennsylvania
Mount Airy Casino operates the only online poker platform in the state, thanks to its partnership with The Stars Group. Since its launch in July, 2019, PokerStars PA has not had a better month then the one reported in March 2020, with $3.1 million in revenue. Compare this sum to December, 2019, which is when PokerStars PA set its last record at $1.5 million.
It wasn’t only online poker that produced record numbers in Pennsylvania. Online casinos in the Keystone State also set new records with their online table games and online slots portfolios.
In Pennsylvania, online table games generated $8.7 million for the state, while online slots pulled in another $12.3 million in gross revenue.
New Jersey
Online poker performed even better the Garden State, which has an older and more established industry. Overall, online poker brought in $3.6 million in March, 2020 breaking the previous record of $3.4 million from January, 2014.
Unlike Pennsylvania, New Jersey has more than one online poker platform. Caesars Entertainment’s WSOP.com platform, doubled its year on year numbers, by bringing in $1.6 million in online poker revenues last month.
PokerStars set another record in New Jersey, with its PokerStars NJ site reporting $1.1 million in revenue.
PartyPoker pulled in $825,000 in revenue on its two New Jersey online poker skins, namely BetMGM and BorgataPoker.com.
New Jersey players didn’t only stick to online poker last month. Online casino games in general were hugely popular, and Atlantic City casinos reported on brisk action and record-breaking numbers in other gambling segments as well.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported that, year on year, online casinos saw a staggering 64% increase in revenue in March 2020. Overall, online casinos took in $61.2 million last month in New Jersey.
