Is New Jersey the New Frontrunner of U.S. Sports Betting?
Updated October 22, 2026
Updated October 22, 2026
Nevada spent decades as the undisputed center of legal sports betting in the United States. Las Vegas sportsbooks attracted bettors from across the country, and no other state came close to matching Nevada's wagering volume.
That began to change after New Jersey legalized sports betting in 2018. Within a year, the Garden State was challenging Nevada's monthly betting totals, helped by a rapidly growing online sportsbook market.
In May 2019, New Jersey surpassed Nevada in monthly sports betting handle for the first time. It happened again in July, raising a question that would define the early years of legalized US sports betting: could New Jersey replace Nevada as the country's leading market?
The answer eventually became clear. New Jersey overtook Nevada, helped establish mobile betting as the industry's dominant channel, and became the first state to record $1 billion in sports wagers during a single month. But the competition didn't end there.
The first signs of New Jersey's rise appeared during the summer of 2019.
Nevada remained ahead in total wagering for the year, but New Jersey began winning individual months.
The May results were particularly significant. New Jersey sportsbooks accepted $318.9 million in wagers, narrowly exceeding Nevada's $317.4 million.
It was the first time New Jersey had led the country in monthly sports betting handle.
Month | New Jersey | Nevada | Higher handle |
|---|---|---|---|
May 2019 | $318.9 million | $317.4 million | New Jersey |
June 2019 | $273.2 million | $322.1 million | Nevada |
July 2019 | $251.4 million | $235.7 million | New Jersey |
Figures are rounded from historical state gaming reports.
Nevada recovered its lead in June, taking $322.1 million in wagers compared with New Jersey's $273.2 million.
July brought another reversal.
New Jersey recorded $251.4 million in sports wagers, while Nevada finished with approximately $235.7 million.
New Jersey had now beaten Nevada in two of three months.
The margins were relatively small, but the significance was considerable. Nevada had long enjoyed a major advantage in legal sports betting, and New Jersey was demonstrating that a newer market could compete directly.
The timing made those results particularly interesting.
May, June, and July fall outside the NFL regular season, traditionally one of the busiest periods for American sportsbooks.
The NBA playoffs and Finals generate considerable betting activity during the spring, but the summer months are generally quieter.
Baseball remains active, while golf, tennis, and other sports help fill the schedule.
New Jersey's success during this period suggested that its growing market wasn't dependent entirely on football.
It also raised expectations for the upcoming NFL season.
With football returning in September and the NBA following in October, New Jersey had an opportunity to challenge Nevada during the busiest part of the betting calendar.
Nevada ultimately retained its lead for the full year.
State | 2019 sports betting handle |
|---|---|
Nevada | $5.32 billion |
New Jersey | $4.58 billion |
Nevada's advantage was approximately $736 million.
That was still a substantial difference, but New Jersey had closed the gap remarkably quickly.
The state had only launched legal sports betting in June 2018, while Nevada had operated legal sportsbooks for decades.
New Jersey's first full calendar year generated nearly $4.6 billion in wagers.
The growth was impressive on its own. More importantly, it showed that Nevada's historical dominance was no longer guaranteed.
The most important difference between the two states was the way people placed their bets.
New Jersey embraced mobile and online sports betting early.
Players could register, fund their accounts, compare odds, and place wagers through licensed sportsbook apps while physically located in the state.
Nevada also permitted mobile sports betting, but its market had developed around physical sportsbooks and more restrictive account registration requirements.
In 2019, online betting accounted for approximately 84% of New Jersey's annual sports wagering handle.
That figure was significantly higher than Nevada's mobile share at the time.
Mobile sportsbooks removed much of the inconvenience associated with traditional retail betting.
Instead of traveling to a casino or sportsbook, players could place wagers using their phones.
This created several advantages for New Jersey:
These advantages helped New Jersey develop a market that was less dependent on casino tourism.
The shift also changed how sportsbooks competed.
Retail locations remained important, but the mobile app increasingly became the main point of contact between operators and customers.
For readers interested in the state's current market, our New Jersey sportsbooks guide covers licensed betting options.
New Jersey's rapid growth also reflected the emergence of major national sportsbook brands.
DraftKings and FanDuel were already familiar to American sports fans through daily fantasy sports.
After New Jersey legalized sports betting, both companies expanded into regulated sportsbook operations.
DraftKings launched its New Jersey mobile sportsbook in August 2018 through a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel.
FanDuel established a major presence through its partnership with Meadowlands Racetrack.
These operators helped make mobile betting a mainstream activity in the state.
DraftKings was among the earliest major operators to launch mobile sports betting in New Jersey.
Its existing customer base and recognizable brand gave it an advantage in a newly regulated market.
The company offered a broad selection of sports, live betting markets, and a mobile experience designed around regular use.
Its early arrival also helped establish expectations for the new generation of US sportsbooks.
FanDuel developed another major presence through its Meadowlands partnership.
The Meadowlands location was especially important because of its proximity to New York City.
At the time, New York had yet to launch statewide online sports betting.
That created an opportunity for New Jersey sportsbooks to attract customers who crossed the state line to place legal wagers.
FanDuel's retail and mobile operations benefited from this geographic advantage.
DraftKings and FanDuel were joined by other operators entering the New Jersey market.
Competition encouraged sportsbooks to invest in their mobile products, expand betting markets, and attract customers.
The result was a rapidly developing industry in which New Jersey became an early testing ground for regulated US sports betting.
New Jersey's location played an important role in its success.
The state sits next to New York City, one of the largest population centers in the United States.
When New Jersey launched mobile betting in 2018, New York had no comparable statewide online market.
That meant New Yorkers interested in legal mobile wagering could travel into New Jersey and place bets once they were physically inside the state.
Sportsbooks used geolocation technology to verify that wagers originated from an eligible location.
A New York resident didn't need to become a New Jersey resident to place a legal bet there. Physical location was the key requirement.
This arrangement gave New Jersey access to a much larger potential customer base than its population alone suggested.
It also helped explain why New Jersey could challenge Nevada despite having a very different gambling industry.
Las Vegas attracted tourists seeking a complete casino and entertainment experience.
New Jersey benefited from a combination of local customers, online access, and visitors from neighboring states.
The competition changed decisively in 2020.
New Jersey finished the year with approximately $6.02 billion in sports betting handle.
Nevada recorded around $4.34 billion.
For the first time, New Jersey was the largest US sports betting market over a full calendar year.
State | 2020 sports betting handle |
|---|---|
New Jersey | $6.02 billion |
Nevada | $4.34 billion |
The difference was approximately $1.68 billion.
New Jersey had moved ahead after only two and a half years of legal operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic played an important role in the 2020 results.
Sports cancellations disrupted betting activity across the country.
Physical casinos and sportsbooks also faced closures and restrictions.
Nevada's tourism-dependent gambling industry was particularly vulnerable to reduced travel and casino visitation.
New Jersey benefited from its more established mobile betting infrastructure once sporting events resumed.
That doesn't mean the pandemic alone explains New Jersey's success.
Its online market had already been growing rapidly before 2020.
However, the disruption accelerated the importance of digital wagering and exposed the limitations of a more retail-dependent betting model.
New Jersey continued growing in 2021.
In September, the state recorded approximately $1.01 billion in sports betting handle.
It became the first US state to exceed $1 billion in wagers during a single month.
That milestone arrived during the opening month of the NFL season, confirming the strength of New Jersey's market during one of the busiest periods on the sports calendar.
The state finished 2021 with approximately $10.94 billion in total sports wagers.
Year | Annual handle |
|---|---|
2019 | $4.58 billion |
2020 | $6.02 billion |
2021 | $10.94 billion |
2022 | $10.94 billion |
2023 | $11.97 billion |
2024 | $12.77 billion |
2025 | $12.16 billion |
Historical annual figures are rounded. State reports and industry trackers may differ slightly because of subsequent adjustments.
The numbers illustrate how quickly New Jersey developed.
Its annual handle more than doubled between 2019 and 2021.
Growth continued in subsequent years, although the market eventually faced stronger competition as additional states legalized mobile wagering.
New Jersey's rise wasn't the final chapter in the competition to lead US sports betting.
New York launched statewide mobile sports betting in January 2022.
Its arrival changed the market considerably.
New York had a larger population than New Jersey and no longer needed to rely on neighboring states to provide widespread legal mobile betting.
The launch also reduced one of New Jersey's earlier advantages: attracting bettors who crossed the border to place wagers.
New York quickly became one of the largest sports betting markets in the country.
By 2024, it had recorded approximately $22.7 billion in annual sports betting handle.
New Jersey generated around $12.8 billion that year.
State | Annual handle |
|---|---|
New York | $22.7 billion |
Illinois | $14.0 billion |
New Jersey | $12.8 billion |
Ohio | $8.8 billion |
Pennsylvania | $8.4 billion |
Nevada | $7.9 billion |
Rounded annual figures.
The rankings demonstrated how much the industry had changed since New Jersey first challenged Nevada in 2019.
New York and Illinois had joined New Jersey among the country's leading markets.
Nevada remained a major sports betting state, but it no longer occupied the dominant position it once held.
Losing the national handle lead didn't make Nevada irrelevant.
Las Vegas remains one of the world's most important gambling destinations.
Its sportsbooks continue to attract tourists, professional bettors, and visitors attending major sporting events.
Nevada also has a longstanding relationship with the gambling industry that newer markets cannot easily replicate.
The distinction is between the size of the sports betting market and the broader importance of a gambling destination.
New Jersey demonstrated that a state could generate enormous sports betting volume through mobile wagering.
Nevada remains influential through its casinos, tourism industry, and established sportsbook operations.
Both models continue to matter.
When comparing states, it's important to understand what the numbers represent.
Sports betting handle is the total amount wagered by customers.
Sportsbook revenue is the amount operators retain after paying winning bets, before applicable expenses and taxes.
These figures measure different things.
For example, a sportsbook that accepts $100 million in wagers and pays $92 million to winning customers records:
Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
Betting handle | $100 million |
Payouts | $92 million |
Gross sportsbook revenue | $8 million |
Hold percentage | 8% |
A higher handle doesn't automatically mean a state generates more revenue.
Results can vary depending on sportsbook margins, customer betting patterns, and the outcomes of major sporting events.
Handle remains a useful measure of market activity, but revenue and tax collections are also important when evaluating the economic impact of legalized sports betting.
New Jersey helped establish several principles that continue to shape the regulated US sports betting industry.
The biggest lesson was the importance of convenient online access.
New Jersey built its market around mobile sportsbooks, giving customers a practical way to place legal bets without visiting a casino.
Other states subsequently adopted similar models.
Nevada's dominance had been closely associated with Las Vegas and its physical casino infrastructure.
New Jersey showed that a state could develop a major sports betting market through mobile access and partnerships with licensed casinos and racetracks.
The early presence of DraftKings, FanDuel, and other operators helped New Jersey establish a competitive sportsbook market.
That competition influenced product development and the way sportsbooks approached customer acquisition.
New Jersey's proximity to New York City gave it access to customers beyond its resident population.
When New York launched statewide mobile betting, that advantage weakened.
The shift illustrates how legalization in neighboring states can change established betting markets.
Nevada dominated for decades.
New Jersey moved ahead in 2020.
New York subsequently became the country's largest market.
The industry has continued developing as states introduce new regulations, tax structures, and licensing requirements.
For more coverage of legal wagering across the country, see our sports betting news and analysis.
New Jersey first exceeded Nevada's monthly sports betting handle in May 2019, recording approximately $318.9 million compared with Nevada's $317.4 million.
New Jersey surpassed Nevada in annual sports betting handle in 2020, recording approximately $6.02 billion in wagers.
Early mobile betting access, competition among major sportsbooks, and proximity to New York City all contributed to the state's rapid growth.
Approximately 84% of New Jersey's total sports betting handle came through online channels in 2019.
DraftKings and FanDuel were among the most prominent operators during the state's early expansion, alongside other licensed sportsbooks.
Yes. New Jersey recorded approximately $1.01 billion in sports betting handle in September 2021, becoming the first US state to reach that milestone.
No. New York subsequently overtook New Jersey and became the country's largest market by annual sports betting handle.
Yes. Retail and online sports betting are legal through licensed operators. Players must be at least 21 years old and physically located in New Jersey to place online sports wagers.
New Jersey's rise marked one of the most important changes in the history of US sports betting.
In 2019, the state began challenging Nevada's monthly wagering totals. By 2020, it had taken the annual lead, and in 2021, it became the first state to record a billion-dollar betting month.
The key wasn't a larger casino industry or a longer gambling history. New Jersey built a competitive mobile market early and benefited from access to customers in neighboring states.
New York's subsequent growth demonstrated that leadership in US sports betting could change again.
→ Our Take: New Jersey proved that mobile access could be more important than decades of sportsbook tradition. Nevada remains a major gambling destination, but New Jersey helped define the modern US sports betting market. Its early success also laid the groundwork for the much larger industry that followed.
Updated October 22, 2026