Online gaming continued to produce big dividends for the country’s major online gaming states in March, as Pennsylvania and Michigan saw record highs in their respective markets.
New Jersey online casino revenue once again surpassed its brick-and-mortar counterparts, contributing to increased total gaming revenue. Online poker also had a solid month, with nice gains in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Here’s a look at all the numbers.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported a new monthly record in March, with $574.5 million in total revenue from all forms of gaming. It surpassed the previous all-time high of $554.6 million from March 2024.
Online casinos were a huge part of the record, with revenue climbing to $238.2 million, up 24.7% year-over-year, and more than $47 million higher than March 2024. This outpaced the previous monthly high of $223.7 million from December 2024. Here’s how that breaks down:
- Online slots – $179.5 million (up 32.5%)
- Online table games – $56.2 million (up 5.8%)
- Online poker – $2.6 million (up 3.3%)
For sports betting, the total handle was $842.9 million, a 5.3% increase from the March 2024 total of $800.7 million. The taxable revenue figure was $27 million, 40.7% lower and may point to some losses for sportsbooks.
The decreased sports betting revenue was a trend seen across all three major markets. Handle is typically higher in March from the NCAA March Madness tournament, but that usually translates to increased revenue as well. The decline indicates bettors won more than they have in the past.
Since there were very few upsets during this year’s tournament, it appears gamblers bet on the favorites.
New Jersey
In the Garden State, Atlantic City’s nine casinos won $230.9 million in March, dropping 3.7% from $239.8 million the same month last year, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Year-to-date, those properties generated $644.4 million in revenue, a 1.8% decrease from the prior year.
Online casinos made the difference after the industry topped live gaming again. Online operators netted $243.9 million, reflecting growth of 23.7% compared to $197.2 million for March 2024. Year-to-date revenue is $673.3 million, up 19.6% from $562.8 million for the same months last year. Online poker also saw a nice bump, rising 8.9% to $2.6 million.
For sports betting, revenue fell 20.5% to $71.3 million in March. Year-to-date wagering was also down, sliding 18.6% to $267.1 million from $328 million in 2024. Total revenue from all forms of gaming in March was $546.1 million, a jump of 3.7% compared to $526.6 million in 2024. Year-to-date total revenue was $1.58 billion, up 2.5%. The state collected $59.8 million in gaming taxes for the month.
Michigan
The increased numbers for online gaming carried over to Michigan as well. Michigan online casinos and sportsbooks grossed $293.5 million in March revenue, a 9.3% increase from February.
Online casino gross receipts totaled $260.5 million, the highest monthly total on record and surpassing the previous high of $248.2 million set in January, according to the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Gross sports betting receipts were $33 million, down from $46 million in February.
Combined adjusted gross receipts for iGaming and online sports betting reached $260.7 million. Of that, $246.1 million came from online casino and $14.6 million from sports betting. Year over year, iGaming AGR rose 26.5% while sports betting declined 45.3% compared to 2024.
Total sports betting handle dropped 25.1% to $475.1 million in March. Online poker is included in overall casino numbers in the Wolverine State, but it seems logical that the game fell in line with numbers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Operators reported submitting $51.4 million in state taxes and payments in March. Detroit’s three commercial casinos reported $13.4 million in wagering taxes and fees, and tribal operators paid $6 million to their governing bodies for the month.
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