109,946 Online Gambling Accounts Created to Date in New Jersey

The total number of online gambling accounts created in New Jersey has exceeded 100,000 in just over a month of operation, according to data released by the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement.

As of Sunday, December 22nd, the number of accounts opened at NJ’s regulated online gambling sites was 109,946.

That represents a jump of just about 18,000 from last week’s total of roughly 91,000.

“We have seen a steady and continual increase in site traffic since November 21 due to the outreach of the casino operators,” said Director David Rebuck. “We are encouraged by their marketing efforts and are optimistic for the future of New Jersey’s Internet gaming industry.”

Tracking growth to date

As the graph below shows, interest in NJ online gambling spiked around the initial rollout and has now reached a point of relatively stable growth:

There are a number of reasons to expect the trajectory to improve over the weeks and months to come, including:

• Major live poker tournaments on the horizon (Borgata Winter Open and the WPT Championship) should increase interest.
• As will the entrance of new operators into the market (Trump brands have yet to come online and several brands – such as Tropicana / Virgin – have yet to introduce poker).
• Operators are planning major promotional and marketing pushes for Q1 2014.

What does the number of accounts mean?

The number of total accounts is a blunt figure that offers little in the way of specific insights.

For example, the number does not tell us how many people are actually actively playing at NJ’s online poker rooms and casinos – it only tells us the raw number of accounts created.

Nor does it reveal how many individuals signed up, as many players undoubtedly created multiple accounts.

Finally, the number does not distinguish between in-state and out-of-state signups, so it’s not useful as a proxy for understanding the consumer penetration of regulated online gambling.

The primary value of the number from my point of view: It provides a general growth trajectory and a rough indicator of interest when viewed over time.

The DGE will release financial results for the first weeks of regulated online gambling on January 15th. With those numbers in hand, we’ll have a much better sense of how many people are actually actively playing at New Jersey’s regulated iGaming sites – and how many signed up just to kick the tires.

Poker continues to see gains

While casino traffic is still in a black box, poker traffic at New Jersey’s regulated online casinos is tracked by PokerScout.com.

PokerScout data shows steady growth for the leading three networks in New Jersey – AAPN, PartyPoker and WSOP.com. Of that trio, PartyPoker has the largest share, holding an estimated 50% of NJ online poker traffic.