New Jersey Hits $606M in July Gaming, Sweepstakes Ban Enforced

The Division of Gaming Enforcement reported that internet casinos collected $247.3 million in July, surpassing the state’s previous record of $246.8 million set in May. This marked a 26.6% increase compared to July 2024 and a 7.2% gain from June. Altogether, New Jersey’s online sector generated $1.63 billion in the first seven months of 2025, an improvement of 23.3% from the prior year. Since September 2024, monthly digital casino revenue has remained above $200 million.

Tax contributions from online operators added up to $48.9 million in July alone, raising the year-to-date figure to $256.4 million. FanDuel once again led the market with $52.1 million in July, extending its streak of earning more than $50 million monthly to five straight months. DraftKings was close behind with $48.6 million, narrowing the gap between the two rivals compared to June. BetMGM followed with $31.4 million, while Caesars Palace Online reached a new milestone at $18.7 million, representing growth of 53.3% year-on-year. Hard Rock earned $13.4 million, and Fanatics Casino posted its best result to date with $12.4 million.

Strong Summer for Atlantic City

Physical casinos also delivered positive results. Land-based gambling revenue totaled $284.1 million in July, reflecting a 4.3% increase from the same month in 2024. Borgata retained the top spot with $79.9 million, followed by Hard Rock at $55.1 million and Ocean Casino Resort with $43.1 million.

James Plousis, chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, said, “Atlantic City’s solid summer season continued in July.” He noted that through July, in-person gambling had generated $1.66 billion, the best performance since 2013.

Jane Bokunewicz, director of Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, also emphasized the strength of July’s figures, stating that casinos “started the third quarter on a high note, setting a new near-term, single-month total gross gaming revenue record with more than $577 million generated from all revenue streams, beating out last August’s $528.5 million single-month high.”

While casinos thrived, sports betting slowed slightly, bringing in $74.8 million for July, a 6.6% decline from the previous year. Nevertheless, bettors wagered over $664 million, with the total handle surpassing $6.7 billion year-to-date.

Sweeps Ban and Expanded Restrictions

Alongside record revenue, lawmakers in Trenton advanced one of the strictest pieces of gambling legislation in years. On August 15, Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 5447, banning sweepstakes casinos and prohibiting proxy bets of $1,000 or more.

The new statute describes sweepstakes gambling as “a promotional, advertising, or marketing event, contest, or game, whether played online or in-person, in which something of value, such as a prize or prize equivalent, is awarded, either directly or indirectly through means such as a dual-currency system of payment that allows a participant to exchange the currency for a prize or prize equivalent.”

Penalties are steep, with fines of $100,000 for first-time offenders and $250,000 for repeat violations. Regulators can also seek injunctions against violators. Additionally, the law broadens the definition of gambling to cover trading or selling anything of value connected to uncertain outcomes and imposes tougher rules against rigging and insider wagering.

Not everyone has welcomed the law. The Social and Promotional Games Association argued that the measure “seeks to outlaw promotional sweepstakes platforms that are already legal, do not require purchase to play, and are enjoyed responsibly by millions of adults across the country.” Critics further warned that eliminating these platforms could push participants toward unregulated alternatives.

Supporters of the bill countered that the regulations are necessary to protect New Jersey’s legal sports betting and online casino industries from practices that could undermine consumer trust and market fairness.

Source: 

“New Jersey Sets $606M July Gaming Record, Enacts Sweeps Ban“, news.worldcasinodirectory.com, August 17, 2025.