New Jersey’s gambling market showed steady expansion in January, fueled by a significant increase in online gaming, even as sports betting and land-based casinos experienced mixed results. Total commercial gaming revenue for the month reached $586.4 million, marking a 5.9% gain compared to January 2025, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. While this growth outpaces the previous year, it fell slightly short of December 2025’s record figures.
iGaming Drives Revenue Increase
The state’s online gambling sector continues to dominate, generating $258.9 million in revenue, up 16.8% from the same period last year. Although this figure surpassed January 2025, it remained below December 2025’s all-time high of $273.2 million.“Other authorised games,” including online slots and table games, accounted for $256.3 million, a 17.1% increase, while online poker revenue declined 2.2% to $2.6 million. The strong growth in slots and table games reflects the continued popularity of interactive and immersive gaming experiences.
Leading the iGaming market, FanDuel and partner Golden Nugget posted $58.9 million in revenue, an 18.5% year-on-year increase. DraftKings and Resorts World followed with $48.6 million, up 10.3%, and BetMGM alongside Borgata reached $33.8 million, representing a 17.3% rise. These top performers demonstrate the concentrated market share among leading operators, while newer platforms continue to expand their presence.
Sports Betting Sees a Dip
Sports wagering experienced a 6.5% decline to $114.2 million in January. Online betting accounted for $112.3 million, down 5.3%, while retail sportsbooks fell sharply by 47.1% to $1.9 million. Total player spending reached $1.03 billion, a 10.4% decrease from January 2025, with $999.2 million placed online and $35.2 million at physical locations. This produced a hold of 11.04% for the month.
FanDuel and Meadowlands led online operators with $104.6 million, up 1.7%, while DraftKings and Resorts World generated $79.2 million, down 0.6%. BetMGM and Borgata brought in $22.9 million, more than doubling their 2025 total by 112.6%. Operator-level handle data is not publicly disclosed, limiting insight into precise win rates for individual platforms.
Land-Based Casinos Lag
Traditional brick-and-mortar casinos brought in $213.3 million, a 1.6% increase over January 2025, but still trailed iGaming in revenue generation. Slots contributed $150.6 million, up 3.5%, while table games fell 2.9% to $62.7 million.
For tax purposes, New Jersey collected $97.1 million from commercial gaming in January. iGaming accounted for $57.4 million, sports betting $23.9 million, and land-based casinos $15.7 million, reinforcing the growing dominance of online gambling in the state.
The figures from January set the tone for early 2026, emphasizing that while traditional sectors remain important, iGaming’s growth is driving the state’s overall revenue expansion. Analysts will monitor whether sports betting can regain momentum and how land-based casinos adapt to changing market dynamics in the coming months.
Source:
“DGE Announces January 2026 Gaming Revenue Results”, nj.gov, February 17, 2026
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