?»?A record year for NJ sports betting; casinos, not so much.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) ??” New Jersey took nearly $1 billion worth of sports bets in December, an encouraging finish to a year in which coronavirus closures and restrictions sent overall gambling revenue down nearly 17%.
Over $6 billion worth of bets were placed last year in New Jersey, which won a U.S. Supreme Court case in 2018 that cleared the way for the ongoing expansion of legalized sports betting in America.
Figures released Wednesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the state??™s nine casinos and three horse tracks that accept sports bets took in over $996 million worth of such wagers in December, the latest in a string of monthly records for U.S. sports betting.
Slot and table games revenue for the casinos, including internet betting, was $2.64 billion in 2020. When sports betting revenue is added, New Jersey saw more than $2.88 billion in revenue for the year.
That represented a decline of 16.9% in a year in which the casinos were closed for 3 1/2 months. Even when they were allowed to reopen in July, they had to restrict operations to 25% of capacity ??” limits that remain in place today.
???Significant revenue was lost in those early months and, throughout the second half of the year, the resurging public health crisis continued to impact business in Atlantic City,??? said James Plousis, chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. ???Atlantic City??™s stakeholders have been working hard to build a strong foundation for recovery. As society begins to approach a return to normalcy, Atlantic City will be ready to restore its recent positive momentum.???
Only one casino, the Golden Nugget, took in more money in 2020 than it did in 2019. It won more than $415 million, an increase of nearly 10% over the previous year.
Harrah??™s had the biggest decline in 2020, down 46.8% to $166.3 million. Resorts was close behind, down 43.8% to $100.2 million. Caesars was down an identical 43.8% to $152.3 million.
Tropicana was down 33.8% to $231.5 million; Borgata, the last of the nine casinos to reopen last year, was down 27.6% to $577.3 million; Hard Rock was down 17% to $290.5 million, and Ocean was down 10.1% to $214.1 million.
Ocean CEO Terry Glebocki said 2020 was a challenging year.
???We??™re optimistic about the future as demonstrated by Ocean??™s 18% year-to-date growth in casino win during the year??™s eight operational months,??? she said. ???In a time when many businesses in the country are ramping down operating schedules, Ocean is actively reinvesting in its property by debuting new venues likes our new high-limit slot experience, The Cove.???
Under two different owners in 2020, Bally??™s won nearly $97 million, compared with $181.5 a year earlier.
New Jersey has led the nation for months in the amount of money bet on sports within its borders. With the NFL playoffs underway in the run-up to the Super Bowl, January 2021 is almost certain to eclipse the $1 billion mark for total amount of money wagered, known in the industry as ???handle.???
But that number is separate from, and much larger than, sports betting revenue, or the amount of money sports books keep after paying out winning bets and other expenses. New Jersey??™s casinos and horse tracks kept just under $400 million in sports betting revenue last year, an increase of over 33% from a year earlier.
And its dominance of the market appears to be in jeopardy: New York state announced last week it will legalize mobile sports betting this year, a move certain to cut into New Jersey??™s sports betting business. Industry experts say about 20% of New Jersey??™s sports bets are made by New Yorkers who cross the border to wager; that is money New Jersey soon will no longer be getting.
Internet gambling revenue more than doubled last year, going from $482 million in 2019 to $970 million in 2020, another bright spot for an industry still struggling to recover from the pandemic. Internet gambling had been on a roll for years in New Jersey, but increased even more this year as gamblers had no option but to bet on their phones or laptops from mid-March to early July, and even after they reopened, some felt more comfortable gambling from home.
It??™s time to make sports betting a sure thing.
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Will this be the year state lawmakers finally legalize sports betting?
State Sen. Brendan Crighton believes the odds may have finally shifted in its favor.
The Lynn Democrat??™s updated version of his previous sports-betting proposal includes a higher tax rate and a significant increase in licensing fees that he said will generate needed revenue for Massachusetts even before a wager is placed.
He feels there??™s reason to believe the Senate will seriously consider passage this session, despite leadership??™s indifference over the past two years.
Senate members of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies abstained in the last session from voting to advance a sports betting bill drafted by that panel, and Senate leaders likewise passed on a House-backed sports wagering proposal tacked on to a major economic development bill in July.
???Sports betting is alive and well in Massachusetts, but unfortunately we??™re letting money go down the drain to the black market and states that have legalized,??? Crighton said.
A jump-start is clearly what this proposal needs.
Even a full-court press via a letter signed by all five major Massachusetts professional sports teams, gaming companies and a powerful labor union last November couldn??™t persuade the Legislature to act.
Absent an agreement at the time on a tax rate or structure for wagers, that group estimated Massachusetts could pull in about $50 million a year from sports betting. Gov. Charlie Baker has previously estimated annual revenue of $35 million, while the House estimated revenue of about $20 million.
Sen. Eric Lesser, who last session co-chaired the committee that studied sports betting, plans to file his own bill in the coming weeks.
Legalized sports betting currently operates in the District of Columbia and 19 states, including New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Crighton??™s latest bill would create an opportunity for the state??™s two casinos in Everett and Springfield, the slots parlor in Plainville, horse-racing license holders and mobile platforms like the Boston-based DraftKings to host in-person and online sports betting.
Should thoroughbred racing return to Massachusetts, tracks would also be eligible to join the industry, which would be regulated and overseen by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
Prospective license holders would need to pony up a $10 million licensing fee, up from a high of $1 million in Crighton??™s original bill; the tax rate also would increase to 15%, an increase over Crighton??™s originally proposed 12.5%.
Crighton??™s bill would allow betting on professional and college sports, but not on in-state collegiate teams.
Some other bills filed last session, including one by Gov. Baker, excluded college sports, but Baker recently told the State House News Service he??™d accept a framework that included betting on college sports because it??™s already happening in neighboring states.
House Speaker Ron Mariano, who blamed the Senate for the failure to legalize sports betting last year, has promised to bring up the issue early in the new legislative session.
Massachusetts can??™t continue to sit on the sidelines and watch neighboring states siphon wagering tax dollars that this state vitally needs in this COVID-created, revenue-challenged environment.
Without legislative action, you can bet those receipts will continue to flow into New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island.
Legal sports betting to begin at MotorCity Casino on Thursday.
DETROIT (WXYZ) ??” Legal sports betting will begin at MotorCity Casino on Thursday with the opening on the FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Sportsbook inside the casino will feature 67 HD televisions, comfortable seating, a full-service bars and is two stories. There are 54 self-service IGT PlaySports betting kiosks.
Those who go in will be able to make bets on all major U.S. sports including baseball, soccer, football, basketball, boxing, motorsports racing and more.
Betting began Wednesday at both MGM Grand Detroit and Greektown Casino.
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