An August jam-packed with sports turned out to be the most prolific month ever for New Jersey bookmakers.
New Jersey sportsbooks took $667.9 million in bets in August, according to revenue numbers released Monday by the state's Division of Gaming Enforcement. It's an all-time monthly record for any state with a regulated sports betting market, including Nevada, and more than double what New Jersey's sportsbooks took in August 2019.
Last November, $614.1 million was bet with Nevada sportsbooks, the most ever for the state's sports betting industry, which dates to the 1950s. New Jersey blew past that mark during a month without football, the most popular sport to bet, and with COVID-19 restrictions limiting Garden State casinos to 25% capacity. It didn't stop bettors, though. More than 90% of the money wagered in August was placed online in New Jersey.
"The New Jersey sports betting model has proven itself to be great for consumers and operators alike, so it comes as no surprise to see continued growth and another record-setting month this past August," said Patrick Eichner, communications director for sportsbook PointsBet. "With NFL and college football now underway, plus plenty of other marquee sports, safe to expect a big month again in September."
With the NBA and Major League Baseball playing daily, basketball and baseball were the two most heavily bet sports in August. Approximately $166.2 million was bet on basketball, while baseball attracted about $150.0 million in wagers. New Jersey sportsbooks won a net $39.5 million on sporting events that were completed during the month.
"It was good to have sports back in August," FanDuel spokesperson Kevin Hennessy told ESPN. "The NBA and NHL bubbles and MLB's strong return gave sports betting in New Jersey the needed boost to a record month."
The record for betting handle set in August might not last long, with the NFL and college football starting up in September, alongside the NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs and the conclusion of Major League Baseball's revised regular season.
Last year, from January through August, $2.53 billion was bet with New Jersey sportsbooks. During that same stretch this year, despite most major sports leagues halting play for months during the pandemic, $2.54 billion has been bet with the state's sportsbooks.