Well, sadly, we’re on the downhill side of summer, with kids heading back to school shortly and vacations that will just be a vision in our rearview mirrors. But the record-setting heat wave that has plagued the country has been matched by the record-setting online growth we’re seeing in NJ online casinos.

Recent revenue reports show massive growth in the industry with year over year changes coming in at +68%. The latest tallies show June revenue at $45 million with almost $7 million of that coming from sports betting, a relatively new endeavor among NJ online casinos. So far this year, revenue has ranged from $44m to almost $50m per month, with March being the largest online month in the six-year history.

Let’s take a look and see how our casinos are doing, in both game count and revenue.

Golden Nugget

This NJ online casino continues to lead the pack. Golden Nugget has a 35.7% market share and are the clear leader in both revenue ($13.6m) and games (627 + Live Dealer). They also have some successful sub-brands, including Betfair, SugarHouse and the new kid on the block, BetAmerica.

They’ve added 4 new games in the past month, bringing their slot total to 574 titles. They also offer 15 Blackjack, 18 video poker options, and 20 table games. Their latest additions are:

• Da Vinci Diamonds Masterworks
• Four Guardians
• Lucky Shih Tzu
• Soaring Stallion

Sub-Brands:

Betfair: Some housecleaning was done in the last month, which purged 2 video poker games, 1 table game and quite a few slot titles. Even with the addition of 6 new slot games, their gaming library took a hit and is now below 400. You’ll fine 361 slots, 9 Blackjack variations, 9 video poker options and 16 table games. New slot titles were similar to GN:

• Four Guardians
• Lucky Shih Tzu
• Soaring Stallion
• Solar Disc
• Temple of Nudges
• Turn Your Fortune

BetAmerica: The latest addition to the NJ online casino scene, along with DraftKings casino, this upstart has wasted no time filling its gaming library. In just a few short months they’ve managed to build a repertoire of about 350 games, not including their Live Dealer offerings. They’ve got over 300 slot titles, 6 Blackjack variations, 10 video poker options and 10 table games. Live Dealer offerings include: Unlimited 21 Blackjack Auto Split, Casino Hold’em, Dragon Bonus Baccarat, Multiview Roulette, Static-View Roulette, Blackjack, and Casino Floor Roulette. As for their recent additions, you’ll find:

• American Blackjack
• Bollywood Story
• Roulette!
• Turn Your Fortune
• Wild Bazaar

SugarHouse: This casino continues to add to its gaming library each month and they’re just 2 games shy of the overall #3 spot. There are 6 new slot titles available on the site this month, including three that are exclusive to SugarHouse: Double Lotus, Zoltar Speaks and Ultra Violet. You’ll find a total of 572 titles in their gaming library, and they should hit 600 in the fall.

Resorts

Resorts online casino, along with sub-brands Mohegan Sun, PokerStars NJ and DraftKings casino, held the #2 spot among NJ online casino brands, according to June revenue reports. They currently have an 18.2% market share, although revenue hasn’t really gained or lost much in recent months, holding in neutral.

Resorts added 13 slot titles in June and just 4 during July, including the new NetEnt title Warlords: Crystals of Power. They currently have 580 titles, including 547 slots, 6 Blackjack variations, 15 video poker options and 12 table games.

Sub-Brands:

Mohegan Sun: Much like sister casino Resorts, Mohegan Sun added over a dozen slots in June and only 2 in July. This brings their total to 574, keeping them in third place in game count among all NJ online casinos.

PokerStars Casino: This casino is fairly new but has been adding games each month to bulk up their library. In fact, if I count right, they have over 800 games on their site, topping Golden Nugget. They have the largest collection of progressive jackpot slots and about half their games aren’t found at other NJ online casinos. Among the newest games at PokerStars online casino are:

• Sky of Thunder
• John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure
• Magicious
• 1429 Uncharted Seas
• The Great Chicken Escape (exclusive to DK)
• Stars Genie (a progressive with a jackpot standing at $462,000+)

DraftKings Casino: There are 5 new slots at this online casino, which is growing each month. Most of the new additions are casino standards and/or have been around awhile:

• Cleopatra Plus
• Daimyo
• Lucky Larry Lobstermania
• Raiden V
• Wheel of Fortune Hawaiian Getaway

Borgata

Initially, Borgata had the #1 online casino, but over the last few years it has fallen into perpetual third place among brands. But thanks to sub-brands like Pala and playMGM, they are making a resurgence. June revenue numbers show $6 million in revenue with a 15.9% share of the market.

Six seems to be the magic number for Borgata, as they have added 6 new games in May, June and July, bringing their gaming library up to 423. They have 6 Blackjack variations, 12 video poker options, 4 table games and 401 slots, the newest of which are:

• Amazing Ripleys
• Da Vinci Diamonds Masterworks
• Temple of Nudges
• Turn Your Fortune
• Wild Adventure
• Wild Worlds

Sub-Brands:

Pala: There were no new games added during the month of July, and the casino actually dropped 6 slots and 1 table game during that period. They come into August with 311 slots, 4 Blackjack, 9 video poker and 8 table games, for a total of 332.

playMGM: Four new slot titles debuted at playMGM during June, bringing their gaming library up to 437. The latest games to hit the site are: Da Vinci Diamonds Masterworks, Turn Your Fortune, Wild Adventure and Wild Worlds.

Caesars

Caesars Entertainment is in the midst of a merger with Eldorado Resorts, which could give them a boost once it is complete in early 2020. Right now, Caesars is the 4th largest brand in NJ with a 13% market share. The growth is helped by sub-brands 888 and WSOP. (Harrah’s is also a sub-brand but has not seen any growth in over a year.)

You’ll find 4 new games this month at Caesars, including the new Da Vinci art-themed slot titled Da Vinci Diamonds Masterworks. They now have 494 slots, 5 Blackjack, 14 video poker and 12 table games, for a total library of 525.

Sub-Brands:

888: It seems that 888 has been in a holding pattern since March, not adding any new games. Then in July they debuted a brand new platform, Orbit, and they stacked the deck, so to speak. In addition to being a much better site that is easy to navigate and has superior graphics, they added 30+ new titles. On the flip side, they did get rid of about 50 older titles, leaving them with a total of 237 games, 224 of which are slots. Among the new games on the site are:

• Acorn Pixie
• Berry Burst
• Big Spinner
• Coins of Egypt
• Diamond Tower
• Frozen Inferno
• Lost Temple
• Mighty Black Knight
• Monopoly Bring the House Down
• Serengeti Diamonds
• Shields of the Wild
• Spartacus Call to Arms
• Wild Bazaar

Hard Rock

Hard Rock soared in revenue during June, with a rise of almost 40% and claiming a 6.4% market share. This is no doubt due to the addition of sub-brand Unibet NJ. To add to the good news, players should be thrilled to see 108 new titles on the site, a massive influx of slots done during the month of July. They now have 380 titles, predominantly slots. The newest additions include a mix of old and new, including:

• Da Vinci Diamonds Masterworks
• Quick Hit Super Wild Red
• Slingo Wild Adventure
• Turn Your Fortune
• Wild Fury Jackpots

Tropicana

Tropicana and sub-brand Virgin have been pretty static of late, rarely adding any new titles. This month is no exception. They still own a 9.9% market share, probably due to player loyalty and the great promotional offers that are constantly on offer. They have 249 games, including

• 221 slots
• 9 Blackjack
• 7 video poker
• 12 table games

Sub-Brands:

Virgin: No new titles, so their gaming library remains at 243.

Ocean

There has been a lot going on with Ocean of late, what with a change in ownership, and rebranding of the hotel/casino. While they continue to add games, they only own less than 1% of the market in NJ. This is down from a high of 2.7% at one point.

During July, Ocean’s online casino added 7 new slots, bringing their gaming library to 259. New to the site are:

• Amazing Ripley’s
• Celestial Sun Riches
• Golden Grimoire
• Mammoth Power
• Shikibu
• Turn Your Fortune
• Wild Worlds