With football season kicking off, sportsbooks in New Jersey are well on their way to a record-setting year.
The Division of Gaming Enforcement released NJ sports betting numbers for August earlier this week, and while total accepted wagers and revenue for the month were down year-over-year, operators in the Garden State are still well ahead of 2023 pace that ended with sportsbooks combining for nearly $12 billion in handle and over $1 billion in revenue.
According to the DGE, NJ sportsbooks reported $698.8 million in accepted bets last month, no doubt boosted by the arrival of the NFL and college football seasons. In addition, operators combined for $62.7 million in revenue.
Both totals are down from a year ago. But there shouldn’t be much concern there considering that 2023 saw the largest August numbers ever in New Jersey.
Single-year records in sight for NJ sportsbooks
Professional football made its soft return at the start of August, kicking off the ever-popular season of NFL betting in New Jersey. Then, over the final four days of the month, NJ college football betting got underway with a slate of nearly 100 games.
This resulted in NJ sportsbooks accepting over $60 million in football handle for completed events, which, unsurprisingly, is the most since the Super Bowl in February.
Overall handle was down just 3% year-to-year, but revenue toppled 34.7%. Yet while year-to-date win percentage was higher through August 2023, the 2024 revenue total sits at $715.8 million – 19.7% ahead of last year’s pace.
Similarly, the year-to-date total for accepted wagers stands at $8.1 billion – a whopping 25% ahead of the 2023 total through August.
| Sportsbook - Revenue | Sportsbook - Revenue | Sportsbook - Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel $24,216,476 | DraftKings $15,482,629 | BetMGM $4,461,393 |
| Bet365 $3,522,015 | Fanatics $3,396,453 | ESPN Bet $2,736,610 |
| Hard Rock Bet $1,315,586 | BetRivers $939,161 | Borgata $935,840 |
| Caesars $266,516 | Prime $227,408 | BetParx $209,227 |
| Sporttrade $51,211 | Betway ($237) | SuperBook ($56,591) |
Key takeaways from NJ sports betting in August
FanDuel still No. 1 in Garden State
It was a down month for FanDuel Sportsbook NJ. In fact, it was the worst of 2024 in terms of revenue.
Still, FanDuel topped the market with $24.2 million in betting revenue in New Jersey, nearly $9 million better than runner-up DraftKings Sportsbook NJ, which reported its second-lowest monthly revenue total of 2024 with $15.5 million.
Fanatics, Hard Rock Bet trending upward
Two highlights that did emerge came from both Borgata ($935,840) and bet365 Sportsbook NJ ($3.5 million), which had their second- and third-highest revenue totals this year, respectively. ESPN Bet, meanwhile, posted its second-best month of 2024 at $2.7 million.
But it’s Fanatics Sportsbook – the complement to Fanatics Casino NJ – and Hard Rock Bet NJ that are trending upward.
Since officially taking over the PointsBet license in May, Fanatics has seen its monthly revenue total continue to rise from $1.78 million in June to a 2024-high $3.4 million last month. Similarly, Hard Rock Bet had its best month of the year in August. Hard Rock has improved its revenue each month since March, capped by the $1.3 million it reported in August.
