New Jersey, the most-populous US state to date to legalise online gambling, has reported that casinos generated revenues of just $8.37m in the first six weeks of i-gaming in the state.
In a statement, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement said that the Borgata (pictured) and Caesars led the field with $3.75m and $2.38m respectively.
“Online and land-based poker revenue at Borgata was up more than 40 per cent from our land-based play in December 2012,” said Keith Smith, president and chief executive officer of Boyd Gaming, which co-owns the Borgata.
“Clearly, online gaming is complementary to our land-based business, not competitive.”
In March 2013, New Jersey governor Chris Christie estimated annual online revenue for the operators would top £1.2bn, compared with a Bloomberg forecast of $425m. Analysts have warned that the sluggish start to New Jersey’s online gaming era is not likely to be representative of long-term performance, which is expected to improve significantly.
