Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association
Posted: Feb. 25, 2019
January proved to be a productive month for racetrack sports betting operations in New Jersey and Delaware.
Overall in New Jersey, two racetracks and nine casinos generated $385.2 million in handle on sports bets, a monthly record since wagering began in the spring of 2018. Of the total, $304.9 million (79.1%) came from online wagering.
Figures from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show that gross revenue for January on-site at Monmouth Park was $830,792, while its online and mobile platforms generated gross revenue of $1,171,980. Monmouth, operated by Darby Development on behalf of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, partners with William Hill for on-site and online betting and SugarHouse Casino for online bets.
On-site sports wagering gross revenue at Meadowlands for the month was $1,168,063 versus $5,850,117 through its affiliated online platforms. The on-site state tax of 8.5% and online tax of 13.5% at the two tracks combined produced more than $1 million for the state.
Delaware had a big month if for no other reason than it didn’t offer sports betting in January 2018 because the regular NFL season had concluded. At that time the three racetrack casinos in the state could offer only parlay bets on NFL games; that changed last June when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned by the United States Supreme Court.
In January Delaware Park took in $8,101,278 in sports bets for net proceeds of $975,731, according to the Delaware Lottery. The track commission for the month was $394,195, and the purse account, which gets 9.6% of net sports betting proceeds, collected $93,731.
About 100 sports betting retail outlets in the state for the month accounted for $64,339 in revenue for purses, more than half of that for Thoroughbreds. Sports betting handle at the two harness tracks in January was as follows: $2,154,533 at Dover Downs and $1,684,312 at Harrington Raceway.
Video lottery terminals at Delaware Park in January added almost $1 million to the track’s purse account, about 15.5% more than the contribution in January 2018.
(Monmouth Park photo by Tom LaMarra)