Three Predictions For New Jersey Online Casinos In 2026
It’s been an eventful year in gambling for New Jersey.
Both Atlantic City casinos and online casinos in New Jersey are seeing record amounts of revenue.
In November, all forms of gambling put together the highest month of revenue for the state in its history at $636.2 million.
With the success of 2025, one has to wonder where things are heading in 2026? I have a few thoughts on what we can expect to see in New Jersey gambling over the next year.
NJ Online Casinos to Push for $3.5 Billion in Revenue
Online casino revenue has been increasing at a pretty strong rate for New Jersey in recent years.
Three of the last four years have seen revenue increase by over 20% year-over-year.
Currently, online casinos in the state have already set a new yearly revenue record in 2025 with only 11 months of data recorded.
The state sits at $2.64 billion, 22.2% ahead of where it was a year ago at this time and already nearly $300 million ahead of 2024’s yearly total. When December’s numbers come in, it should be just shy of $3 billion altogether.
Here’s how the yearly iCasino revenue has grown since 2021:
- 2021: $1,366,891,492
- 2022: $1,662,695,775 (up 21.6%, $295.8 million more)
- 2023: $1,923,742,057 (up 15.7%, $261.0 million more)
- 2024: $2,387,164,172 (up 24.1%, $463.3 million more)
- 2025: Estimated $2.88-$2.93 billion (Up 20-25%, $500-550 million more)
Given what we have seen around the US online casino industry, it’s hard to imagine that iGaming revenue has hit its peak. October set a new record for all major states, including New Jersey at $260.3 million.
In 2026, I expect online casino revenue to continue a steady upward trend. That should push New Jersey well past the $3 billion milestone in for yearly revenue, and even flirt with $3.5 billion by the time next December comes. Getting to $3.5 billion would require an increase in around $600 million year-over year. That is a bit of a climb, but we have seen the revenue increase more and more these past two years. So, it’s also not out of the question.
Online Casinos to Surpass Atlantic City in Revenue
While on the revenue topic, look for 2026 to be the year that the iGaming sector outperforms the Atlantic City casinos in terms of revenue production.
That isn’t a slight to Atlantic City, as the nine retail casinos continue to set records of their own. However, their yearly revenue has been pretty steady around $2.8-$2.9 billion the last four years. Online casinos have shown much greater growth and are only $40 million behind Atlantic City through November.
| Year | Atlantic City Casino Revenue | NJ Online Casino Revenue | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $2,554,493,369 | $1,366,891,492 | $1,187,601,877 |
| 2022 | $2,785,623,710 | $1,662,695,775 | $1,122,927,935 |
| 2023 | $2,847,916,429 | $1,923,742,057 | $924,174,372 |
| 2024 | $2,817,506,790 | $2,387,164,172 | $430,342,618 |
| 2025 (through November) | $2,678,019,418 | $2,638,062,746 | $39,956,672 |
The gap between the two has closed by a wide margin each year. While Atlantic City has largely plateaued with its revenue growth, online casinos are still increasing at a strong rate. It’s hard to imagine the online operators not outperforming Atlantic City in 2026.
New York Continues to Progress Toward Online Casinos
This isn’t a New Jersey prediction, technically. However, The Garden State will definitely be impacted if/when New York decides to legalize online casinos.
Currently, iGaming is illegal in New York, which can send business to neighboring New Jersey.
However, New York continues to make steps that would indicate a desire to legalize online casinos in the future.
After years of planning, three downstate casinos finally received their licenses to begin building in New York in 2026. That continues the gambling expansion in the state.
On top of that, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill to ban dual-currency sweepstakes gaming and sports betting in December. That took a hard stance against any company operating gambling services of any kind without New York regulatory oversight.
One of the big proponents of online casino expansion in New York, Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr., sponsored the sweepstakes ban. He believed Gov. Hochul making it into law is the next logical step toward iGaming.
“With downstate casino licensing progressing and the illegal sweepstakes loophole now closed, the state is better positioned to hold serious discussions about regulating and potentially legalizing iGaming in the near future, possibly as part of the upcoming budget process,” Addabbo said in a statement after the sweepstakes ban went into law.
Addabbo has introduced online casino legislation in previous years and is likely to do it again in 2026. While it seems unlikely that there is enough support to pass that in the coming year, it should get closer. That would further the chances for it passing through legislation in 2027.
Should New York online casinos eventually get legalized, it would likely take a percentage of business away from New Jersey.
Drew Ellis has experience covering the gambling industries in North America and around the world. Decades of media experience provide him with the background to handle the complexities of different gambling laws and policies around the United States and North America. Ellis has primarily focused on online and retail casino news since 2021. Prior to working in the gambling industry, Ellis spent over 20 years in the newspaper industry, covering sports and the gambling. His work for The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun and The Oakland Press was recognized with awards by the Associated Press and other media organizations. Drew has also contributed to the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.
