Three-Month Look: New Jersey Books Continue To Smoke Out New York Sports Betting Totals

New York didn’t need any further incentive to get online sports betting launched as soon as possible.

But comparing the total amount of sports bets in NY with neighboring New Jersey, and the numbers really are staggering.

Over the last three months, NJ has pulled in $3.6 billion in sports betting handle, while NY has pulled in $64.5 million.

NY’s total includes $21.5 million in sports betting handle from its four upstate commercial casinos during November, down slightly from its record $25.6 million in October (and $17.4 million in September).

Gearing up for NY online sports betting launch

NJ has pulled in over $1 billion in sports betting handle in back-to-back-to-back months.

Meanwhile, NY is working toward online sports betting launch, hopefully as soon as January, in time for betting on the NFL playoffs.

As policymakers have repeatedly pointed out, the key is to be fully up and running for the Super Bowl sports betting bonanza on Feb. 13.

All nine operators in NY — FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Bally’s, Caesars, PointsBet, WynnBet, BetRivers and Resorts World — must house their servers any of the four upstate commercial casinos.

With a population of 20 million and a significant fanbase, NY has the potential to overtake NJ in sports betting handle one day. But there are concerns as to how NY’s 51% tax rate impacts both promos and lines, meaning NY bettors could still opt to wager in NJ, other nearby states or their local bookie.

Currently, it is estimated that about 20% of NJ’s sports betting handle comes from New Yorkers. Do the math, and 20% of $3.6 billion is $720 million.

NY sports betting handle facts and figures

Here’s a look at the sports betting totals in NY in November:

• Rivers: $7,963,041
• Del Lago: $5,431,184
• Resorts World: $2,708,185
• Tioga Downs: $1,253,372
• Total: $21,519,094

The upstate commercial casinos pulled in a 2021 high of nearly $4 million in gross gaming revenue via sports betting in the month:

• Rivers: $1,751,328
• Del Lago: $1,300,170
• Resorts World: $496,440
• Tioga Downs: $408,552
• Total GGR: $3,956,490

Presumably, this is because November was an awful month for NFL sports bettors, with underdogs covering the spread nearly 60% of the time, according to ESPN.

Upstate casinos perform fine as downstate licenses take center stage

Here’s an overall look at how the upstate commercial casinos performed in November:

• Resorts World: $19,376,479
• Rivers: $17,341,251
• Del Lago: $14,127,275
• Tioga Downs: $7,803,628
• Total GGR: $58,648,633

This follows a GGR of $60.5 million in October. NY is currently in the process of evaluating and eventually awarding its three downstate casino licenses. The NY State Gaming Commission released responses from interested parties for those licenses.

The corporations interested include MGM, Universal, Resorts World, Las Vegas Sands, Rush Street, Wynn, Hard Rock and Bally’s.

You can read playin-ny’s breakdown of operators can be found here.