Gambling in the USA

Five years, five biggest lessons learned in New Yersey’s online gambling

Published

6 years ago

February 26, 2018

Five years, five biggest lessons learned in New Yersey's online gambling

Reading Time: 5 minutes

On February 26, 2013, New Jersey celebrated a historic milestone. It was on that day that then Governor Chris Christie signed Assembly Bill 2578, which legalized online poker and casino games in the state, into law.

Exactly nine months later the first regulated sites went live. And while the industry was not without its growing pains, it has proven an overwhelming success, generating over $130 million for state coffers and contributing to the revitalization of downtrodden Atlantic City.

In this retrospect we take a look at some of the biggest lessons learned during the industry’s first five years, paying particular attention to unexpected trends that threw analysts for a loop. New states considering iGaming legislation can look to these examples in order to glean a better perspective as to how to max out their own industries.

1 — Outrageous projections are damaging

Exaggerated revenue projections are nothing new, especially in regard to nascent industries. But when those predictions are so outrageous that the new industry has absolutely no chance of meeting expectations, it can have a long-term detrimental impact on public perception.

This is exactly what happened to the NJ online gambling industry.

Conservative estimates projected $200 – $300 million in first-year revenue; lofty but attainable under the right circumstances. They weren’t the problem. It was Morgan Stanley‘s estimate of $1 billion, and Chris Christie’s own projection of $1.2 billion which made headlines, ultimately putting the industry in an unenviable spot.

How Christie derived this figure is anyone’s guess, but we suspect it has something to do with bolstering his political clout. Unfortunately, when the industry posted first-year revenue of $122.9 million — a very respectable number — it was widely viewed as a colossal failure. As a result, other state legislators shied away from online gambling, and it wouldn’t be until 2017 that another state (Pennsylvania) legalized the activity.

Thankfully, industry operators weren’t deterred by the negativity. Last year, NJ online gambling generated $245.6 million, and in January 2018, it set a new high-water mark for monthly revenue.

States on the fence about iGaming legislation are advised to look at this growth trajectory, and not be fazed that NJ online gambling sites didn’t live up to the bombastic predictions set forth by Christie in 2013.

2 — Online casino is the new online poker

When Black Friday forced PokerStars, Full Tilt, and other major online poker brands out of the US in 2011, players were rightly devastated. At the time, poker was something of a national pastime in the states, and its sudden removal cost many residents their livelihood, and a significant number their jobs.

By 2013 online poker was well past its popularity peak, but that didn’t prevent players from becoming enthused about its return to New Jersey. Unfortunately, these players were met with a hard reality early on, that this new online poker market was merely a shadow of its former self.

Most of the problem had to do with the capped liquidity of the NJ market. Prior to Black Friday, sites had a population reach in the hundreds of millions. Now their reach was just under 9 million. Factor in the industry’s various early struggles (payment processing limitations, geolocation failures) and traffic and revenue quickly floundered.

During those early days, operators poured countless marketing dollars into poker (remember 888’s 80% rakeback deal?), believing it to be the best use of their funds. They were wrong, and in being wrong they hindered the growth of online casino — a vertical that did not depend on high liquidity for success.

Since, they’ve learned their lesson and online casino sites have thrived. In 2017, online casino accounted for a staggering 90.1% of industry revenue.

Granted, we do think online poker will capture more market share in 2018, but that’s only because NJ has taken steps to rid itself of its liquidity problem, by forging a player pooling compact with Nevada and Delaware.

3 — What’s in a brand? Apparently, not everything

When NJ online gambling launched in November 2013, analysts believed that Caesars and Borgata sites would dominate the landscape. They did, for a time.

But it quickly became clear that over the long-haul, strong branding was only one piece of the puzzle. Nowhere was this more evident than on Golden Nugget licensed sites. A relatively small casino brand in New Jersey, at least compared to Borgata and Caesars, Golden Nugget purposely held back on its marketing spend for about a year, only to open the floodgates once other sites pulled back on their initial promotional blitz. It was also around this time that it picked up Betfair, a highly regarded international brand, under its license.

This one-two punch worked, and the positive results were amplified by the operator’s aggressiveness, resulting in a rapidly expanding game library, new formats, better software, and top-flight payment processing. Since, Golden Nugget has never looked back, and in January 2018 it became the first operator to generate over $7 million in a calendar month. For perspective, no other operator has ever pulled in $5 million.

Other smaller brands have also done well. Resorts, Atlantic City’s smallest casino brand and a latecomer to the online market, defied all odds and now accounts for significant market share. Why? Probably because its casino software and game libraries are second to none.

And for what it’s worth smaller brands are apparently making an impression on AC’s big hitters. Recently we’ve seen sites under the Caesars license make a host of improvements, and Borgata has been upping its online casino game considerably of late, via new games and creative promotions.

The lesson here is that smaller casino brands in other states have plenty of reason to lobby for iGaming, perhaps even more than bigger names, because the online space is a more level playing field.

4 — AC and NJ online gambling, perfect together

One of the chief concerns revolving around NJ online gambling was that the industry might cannibalize Atlantic City revenue. Not only were these worries quickly put to bed, but it was revealed that online gambling had a complementary impact on brick & mortar casinos.

As early as February 2014, three months after industry launch, it was shown that online and land-based players come from very different stock, with little overlap. Going further, a portion of these online players were incentivized to visit Atlantic City for the first time.

We’re not saying online gambling is the sole reason Atlantic City land-based gaming revenue has stabilized, but it’s certainly a factor.

Not only that, but iGaming has proven to bolster Atlantic City revenue under select circumstances. To wit, it was recently reported that AC revenue was down a sharp 10% in January, primarily due to a string of inclement weather early in the month. However, for that very same reason, online gambling soared to a new revenue record.

Without online to cushion the blow, AC revenue would have fallen by a much larger margin, and that’s worth something.

Unfortunately there are still some holdouts that earnestly believe online will cannibalize their business. Hopefully these misguided fears will be dispelled once proof mounts in other states that this is not the case.

5 — Live Dealer proves a critical addition

The impact of Live Dealer games, launched on Golden Nugget Casino in 2016 and Betfair Casino in 2017, is not to be overlooked.

Not only do Live Dealer games take in some healthy wagers, but they’re proving a gateway to online gambling for those more comfortable with brick & mortar casino settings. In turn, some of these new players eventually warm up to electronic games.

We don’t have exact revenue figures for Live Dealer games, but based on the vertical’s growth — both in the number of tables running and hours of operation — we suspect it’s growing quickly.

Expect Golden Nugget to roll out several more Live Dealer games this year, including the Bet Behindfeature for blackjack, which could be a game changer. It’s also plausible that Golden Nugget will lease its studio space to more operators (Betfair currently utilizes it), as the cost of running an independent studio might prove too high for most.

Source: njonlinegambling.com

Gambling in the USA

Nebraska’s First Permanent Casino to Open in May in Columbus

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Nebraska’s first full-fledged, newly built and state-sanctioned gambling casino is slated to open in Columbus next month, marking a milestone in the state’s rollout of casino gambling.

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission last Friday approved a target opening date of May 13 for Harrah’s Columbus.

“This is a big deal,” commission Chairman Dennis Lee said.

The state’s three other casinos are open, but in temporary facilities. According to construction schedules, all should be open by early next year.

“We’re definitely excited to open the first permanent casino in the state,” said Don Ostert, Harrah’s Columbus general manager.

The 17,000-square-foot casino floor will feature 400 slot machines and 11 live table games, including roulette and craps, Ostert said. It will feature a Brew Brothers restaurant and will offer Caesar’s sportsbook and racebook, Ostert said.

For racing fans, the complex will feature the state’s only 1-mile horse track, though racing isn’t scheduled to begin until August 16. By June, officials hope to have some horses out on the track to test the new surface.

Ostert said officials hope to draw customers from Norfolk and Grand Island, but also from Omaha and Lincoln.

Columbus Mayor James Bulkley said that, from the city’s standpoint, “we are very excited to see it get started and become part of the community.”

The developers incorporated some Columbus history into the casino, he said.

“The location where it is used to be called Wishbones, and it was a venue for years for entertainment, and so people recognize that name, and they have kept that name for the sports bar,” he said.

He expects the casino will draw from Omaha. Although driving to Columbus from downtown Omaha might take close to an hour and a half, the drive from west Omaha is more like an hour, he said.

“I can hit Elkhorn in a short hour today, which is now western Omaha,” he said.

In a few months, Omahans won’t have to leave town to visit a brand-new casino.

At Horsemen’s Park in Omaha, Warhorse Gaming officials are aiming to open their new casino in early August. It will open with 900 gaming positions, including table games and a Sweetwater Cafe.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – April 15-21

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Caesars Entertainment announced that the Caesars Sportsbook Mississippi app is accepting mobile sports bets at Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi. Sports fans 21 and older who are interested in wagering on sports via mobile devices can download the Caesars Sportsbook Mississippi app to register and deposit statewide but must be physically present on-property at Harrah’s Gulf Coast to wager.

The Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG) has announced that FanDuel’s sports betting app and website has officially launched. This development will introduce FanDuel’s sports wagering platform to District residents and visitors, completely replacing the current GambetDC sports betting app and website.

eCOGRA has been officially authorised by the Secretaria De Prêmios e Apostas (SPA) to operate as a certifying entity for betting systems, live gaming studios and online games in Brazil. This announcement marks a significant milestone as eCOGRA continues to extend its international offering of iGaming testing, inspection and certification (TIC) services in regulated markets across the globe.

Jennifer Shatley, a recognised expert in the field and a highly sought speaker and advisor, has joined the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) as Executive Director. Shatley has had 25+ years worth of experience, working closely with the treatment community, academics, researchers, government bodies, state councils and gaming industry representatives to promote responsible gaming.

Odditt, a leading provider of innovative sports betting data, tools and analytics, has appointed Elaine Milardo as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). With over 25 years of experience in the data industry and key roles at DraftKings and Vistaprint, Elaine brings a wealth of expertise to Odditt’s growing team.

Partnerships

Trustly, the global leader in Open Banking Payments, and Light & Wonder, the leading cross-platform global games company, are bringing cashless, in-person deposits to casino floors with Light & Wonder’s cashless solution, RAPIDPLAY. Building on Trustly’s success with guaranteed payments in online sports betting and iGaming, Trustly will deliver the same seamless, quick and secure online payment experience to the physical casino floor.

Fintech company Sightline has entered into an exclusive partnership with compliance and anti-fraud technology solutions leader GeoComply to bolster the security and efficiency of digital transactions within the regulated gaming industry. Sightline will integrate GeoComply’s cutting-edge IDComply identity verification solution as well as GeoComply’s compliance-grade geolocation tools across its comprehensive suite of digital payment solutions for land-based casinos and online gaming operators.

BetMGM has announced a partnership with GameCode, a distinguished iGaming company focused on the North American market. The partnership includes the launch of Boom Boom Boom, HammerCash, Gold Gold Gold and Super3 series which are now live at BetMGM in Michigan and New Jersey through direct integration. BetMGM plans to offer GameCode’s full portfolio of games in all jurisdictions where the operator’s iGaming platform is live pending regulatory approvals.

SCCG Management has announced a joint venture investment with Numb3rs, an innovative all-in-one payment solution provider built for gaming operators. The partnership aims to transform the gaming sector by integrating Numb3rs’ proprietary tech stack, ECRYPT, into the marketplace, thereby offering a comprehensive suite of payment processing solutions.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – April 8-14

Published

1 week ago

April 15, 2024

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Latest News

FanDuel Group, the premier online gaming company in North America and an Official Partner of Churchill Downs Inc., announced five time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan and Grammy award-winning R&B singer Ne-Yo as the headlining performers at FanDuel’s inaugural Kentucky Derby Party. The exclusive, invite-only event will take place on Friday, May 3 at Paristown Arts and Entertainment District in Louisville, Kentucky from 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM.

TPI, a leading provider of innovative player communication solutions for the casino industry, has appointed Joe Tingson as its new Vice President of Customer Success. With his unparalleled dedication to his customers, Joe will play a pivotal role as a leader for our digital Customer Success and Product teams.

PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, has announced plans for its new 33,000 square foot Atlanta Headquarters, which will be located in the Star Metals Building in Midtown Atlanta. The company plans to grow its workforce by 1000 new jobs over the next seven years, the economic impact of which will be $25M to the state of Georgia.

Century Casinos Inc. has announced that it opened its hotel in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, The Riverview. The Riverview is a 69 room, six-story building with 68,000 square feet that is adjacent to and connected with Century Casino Cape Girardeau. The project cost $30.5 million and was financed with cash on hand.

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has announced the opening of Terre Haute Casino Resort in Terre Haute, Indiana. The $290 million investment includes a casino floor with 1000 slot machines, 36 table games, and a state-of-the-art sportsbook. The 400,000-square-foot entertainment venue also features regionally inspired bars and restaurants including: Four Cornered Steakhouse, Rockwood Bar & Grill, The Soda Shoppe, Crossroads Center Bar and High Limit Bar.

Bragg Gaming Group Inc., a global B2B gaming technology and content provider, announced that Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ronen Kannor, has notified Bragg’s board of directors (Board) that he will resign from his position to pursue other career opportunities, effective June 3, 2024. The Company confirms that the search for a replacement CFO has commenced.

Partnerships

EQL Games has partnered with global aggregation leader and NeoGames company, Pariplay, to provide the Virginia Lottery, through an agreement with NeoPollard Interactive, with a series of eInstant iLottery games for their industry-leading digital platform.

JACK Entertainment LLC announced the selection of Konami Gaming Inc.’s SYNKROS to power industry-leading systems technology across its 1.5 million square feet of casino entertainment space. The Ohio-based gaming operator’s portfolio includes a combined 2600+ gaming machines and 85 table games at JACK Cleveland Casino in downtown Cleveland, and at JACK Thistledown Racino, located approximately 10 miles to the southeast.

PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced that the company has reunited with the Atlanta Braves as the club’s Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner for the 2024 season. The partnership extends a longstanding relationship that dates back to 2020, with the two Atlanta-based companies continuing to work together on unique opportunities for their dedicated fans.