New Jersey Online Casino Operators Start 2026 With Third-Highest Revenue Month In State History

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported Tuesday $258.9 million in adjusted gross online casino revenue for January, as digital operators opened 2026 far stronger than their Atlantic City brick-and-mortar counterparts.

It was the third-highest amount recorded in state history, trailing only the record $273.2 million set in December and the $260.3 million claimed in October. Operator winnings were up 16.8% from the previous January.

Online casino revenue growth far outpaced the 1.6% bump in Atlantic City casino revenue to $213.3 million. While live slot winnings ticked 3.5% higher to $150.6 million, in-person table games revenue slipped 2.9% to $62.7 million.

There was also a downturn in sports betting revenue to open the year, as the $114.2 million in winnings was down 6.5% despite operators posting a collective 11% hold.

The combined $586.4 million in total gaming win was an increase of 5.9% compared to January 2025. Internet casino revenue also provided the majority of the state's tax receipts, providing an inflow of $57.4 million to state coffers among overall gaming taxes for the month totaling $97.1 million. Sports betting accounted for $23.9 million and Atlantic City casinos the remaining balance of $15.7 million.

FanDuel fast out of the blocks

One of the questions revolving around iGaming for 2026, especially in the "Big 3" states of New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, is just how much longer year-over-year, double-digit revenue growth can be sustained. Five of New Jersey's top six platforms showed early staying power in answering that question with increases of 10.3% or better.

FanDuel heads the list at $58.9 million, an 18.5% jump from January 2025. That revenue number, however, ended a three-month streak of months above $60 million in winnings that crested with a record $61.9 million haul in December.

DraftKings was a distant second at $48.6 million, but the 10.3% year-over-year growth was a positive sign considering it showcased double-digit growth just once in the final five months of last year. DK was rebuffed in a bid to top $50 million in back-to-back months for the first time since the DGE began breaking out individual operator figures in January 2024.

BetMGM cruised to the final podium spot with $33.8 million, an increase of 17.3% from last year. The Borgata cleared $20 million by $964,000, but it was the only operator in the top eight with a downturn in revenue, at 4.3%.

Caesars Palace Online completed the top five with a haul of $18.3 million, an upswing of 16.7% over January 2025. Hard Rock Bet followed closely behind at $17.3 million, an increase of 38.1%, while BetFanatics more than tripled its winnings from last year with nearly $12 million.

It was the fourth-highest revenue total for BetFanatics, which avoided another wild month-over-month revenue swing to start 2026. Winnings declined only 6.6% from December after enduring dips of 48.8% from August to September and 36.9% from October to November.

Checking the tethers

Golden Nugget, which counts FanDuel and BetRivers among its licensed online tethers in addition to its own platform, racked up a state-high $75.4 million in digital winnings. That was up 7% from last year.

Interestingly, Golden Nugget's internal platform was the weakest of its three skins as the $7 million won was off by more than one-third from the previous January. BetRivers claimed $9.5 million, good for a 16.6% increase.

The Borgata was able to place second among Atlantic City license-holders with $58.5 million in total digital revenue and was the only one with two skins to both reach eight figures in revenue. DraftKings powered Resorts Digital to a third-place total of $55.5 million.