A detailed study of New Jersey’s online gambling players released by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement—and conducted by Rutgers University—found that high rollers drive online revenue much like at brick-and-mortar casinos.
One player noted in the study wagered $78.76 million in Internet bets in 2015. In all, about 3,000 players were found to have wagered more than $500,000.
New Jersey allows both online poker and online slots and casino games.
The study found that only about 5.3 percent of gamblers played exclusively online, compared to 19.2 percent that gambled both in Atlantic City casinos and online. All of New Jersey’s online gambling sites are partnered with Atlantic City casinos.
Though the state has registered several hundred thousand player accounts, only about 28 percent of account creators played for substantial money, the study found.
According to an analysis by CardPlayer.com—which first reported on the study—some other facts outlined in the study include:
Nearly 69 percent of gamblers were registered with only one gambling site and nearly 19 percent of players registered with two. Only three percent of players had accounts on five or more sites. Only 0.14 percent had accounts on all the available platforms.
The study also found that 76.7 percent of players are men, but among high-stake players, the majority of players are women. In the top 10 percent of online gamblers—those who were highest in total number of bets placed, total number of days gambled and total amount of money wagered—women actually represented more than half (53.39 percent) of online gamblers.
About 3,000 players were considered in the top 10 percent. The group was more likely to play only online casino games over online poker than other online gamblers. Nearly 70 percent of the high rollers never played online poker, compared to 43 percent among the other 90 percent of players.
The top 10 percent averaged $500,000 in wagers for the year 2015. The figure represents wagers made, not losses. It also does not necessarily indicate high wager amounts, but only that the gamblers played more frequently than other gamblers and had a wider range of wager amounts. These players averaged about 440 bets a day.
Also, with online gambling available 24 hours a day, online casino gamblers wagered the most from 9pm to midnight ($603 million). About $3 billion was bet on New Jersey gambling sites in 2015, with half of that coming from the top 10 percent of players.
According to CardPlayer.com, nearly half of all online gamblers in the state live in Northeastern New Jersey, the most populated area of the state. Less than five percent of New Jersey online gamblers live in the Atlantic City area.
The study also found that a “significant minority” of players don’t live in New Jersey, but play at work. Online players must be physically located in the state to play, but do not have to be New Jersey residents.
New Jersey’s online gambling took in about $150 million in 2015.
According to the DGE, the study, titled “Internet Gaming in New Jersey: Calendar Year 2015 Report to the Division of Gaming Enforcement,” is the second of four such annual reports mandated as part of the state’s ongoing regulatory oversight. The ongoing studies include an emphasis on problem-gambling behaviors, including how they present themselves in a statistical sense.
About 14 percent of the gamblers who were covered in the study also used the state-licensed sites’ responsible-gambling features at least once.
Meanwhile, another study conducted by the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming at Stockton University shows that millennials—defined as people between 21 and 35 years of age—spend less on gambling when visiting Atlantic City’s brick-and-mortar casinos than other demographic groups.
The study found millennials spend just 8.5 percent their total Atlantic City budget on gambling, compared to 23.5 percent by visitors over 35.
Considering Atlantic City as an entertainment destination, 45 percent of millennials said they held a positive or very positive impression of the city, compared to 63 percent. The survey’s authors said this showed the need for AC businesses to provide midscale accommodation and casual dining options.
