online-poker

January Sees Record-Breaking Revenue in Key United States iGaming Markets

The online gambling sector in the United States is experiencing unprecedented growth, with January 2025 setting new records across key markets. Online gaming revenue surged in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, signaling a shift away from traditional brick-and-mortar casinos.

Online Casino Boom Drives Record-Breaking Revenue in Michigan

Michigan brought its best game in January, reporting $331.2 million in total online gaming and sports betting revenue—a 25.4% increase from the previous month. The state’s iGaming sector set a new all-time monthly record at $248.2 million, breaking December’s previous high of $244 million. Sports betting also saw a significant jump, with revenue climbing to $83 million, up from just $20.2 million the previous month.

Even though the total sports betting handle dipped 7.1% month-over-month, operators saw 65.6% higher revenue than in January 2024, indicating stronger profitability per bet. Michigan’s government collected $46.8 million in gaming taxes, reinforcing the industry’s financial impact.

Online Gaming Surpasses Brick-and-Mortar Casinos in New Jersey

New Jersey continued its transition into a predominantly online gaming market, with digital platforms generating $221.6 million in revenue—a 20.9% increase year-over-year. For the first time, online gaming revenue exceeded earnings from Atlantic City’s nine casinos, which reported $210.1 million for the month. This marks a major turning point, demonstrating a clear preference for online gaming over physical venues.

Online poker also performed well, seeing an 8.1% rise to $2.7 million in revenue. However, sports betting struggled, with revenue dropping 28.4% compared to the previous year. Despite some setbacks in sports wagering, New Jersey still collected $62.1 million in gaming taxes, showing the resilience of its digital gambling sector.

Pennsylvania Enjoying Further Market Growth

Pennsylvania, one of the most active regulated gambling markets in the U.S., posted $529.1 million in total gaming revenue for January, reflecting a 10.9% year-over-year increase. Online casinos fueled this growth, with a 40.5% increase in iGaming revenue, totaling $210.2 million. Online slots led the way, generating $158.6 million (a 44.2% increase), while online table games added $48.9 million.

However, online poker in Pennsylvania experienced a slight decline, with revenue dipping 2.3% year-over-year to $2.6 million. Sports betting saw mixed results, with total wagers reaching $873.1 million but taxable revenue falling 26.4%—likely due to player-friendly outcomes in NFL betting.

Exciting Road Ahead

Crypto casinos are in a prime position to take advantage of the growing demand in these top U.S. markets, thanks to changing regulatory landscapes and players’ desire for decentralized, quick, and secure gaming choices. What remains to be seen is whether more states will accept gaming systems that are compatible with cryptocurrencies, or whether the sector will keep expanding without following conventional regulatory pathways.

2022-poker

Online Poker Wish List for 2022

The past couple of years have been quite challenging, to say the least. This was especially true for the land-based gambling sector which had to deal with the measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Online gambling, on the other hand, did not suffer quite as much as, something that is easily proven by the stellar performance of various iGaming sectors.

Online poker is quite mature now but this does not mean that it has stopped growing. The vertical still benefits from several innovations and technological advancements as operators rush to meet the growing market demand. Crypto and blockchain stand out for being some of the most notable technologies that have been pushing poker forward.

However, they are not the only aspects that we are paying attention to in 2022. Here are some of the things that we are hoping for in the world of poker this year:

Interstate Poker in the United States

Traffic sharing is a pretty big deal in the world of online poker. Not only does it open the doors for soma amazing possibilities for the players but it also creates room for more growth for the poker operators. In the United States, the best way of achieving traffic sharing has been interstate poker.

As it stands, only WSOP (World Series of Poker) can share traffic in the country. Unfortunately, this is limited to Delaware New Jersey and Nevada which happen to be the smallest regulated online poker markets in the United States.

Keeping that in mind, it would be amazing if Michigan and Pennsylvania could also be part of this online poker network. These two have massive poker markets and their inclusion would be a big step for online poker in the country. Moreover, it would even be better if other operators other than WSOP could launch their networks. The top contenders in this regard would be PokerStars, partypoker and BetMGM Poker.

2022 might not be the year all this is achieved but, hopefully, even a single step in the right direction could begin the journey towards the online poker market of our dreams.

An Expanded Poker Market Maybe?

When it comes to legal online poker, we have made tremendous strides towards an expanded regulated market. Even so, only a handful of states have actually come on board. Poker enthusiasts in many other states have had to stick to offshore betting sites or even underground poker sites which come with their own set of cons.

For state authorities, one of the things we hope will be a key consideration will be the introduction of regulated, safe and reliable poker offerings in their states. Some discussions had already begun and we will be following closely to see how far they go.

All in all, 2022 will certainly be quite a year. Nothing is cast in stone and there are lots of possibilities. Happy new year!