According to numbers revealed Monday, New Jersey's sports betting sector became the first in the United States to rake in more than a billion dollars in bets in a single month, in September, as football season drove more gamblers to sports books and, critically, their phones.

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According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, Atlantic City's nine casinos and three racetracks that accept sports bets together received $1.01 billion in sports wagers last month, a new monthly record for the state and the country.

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After winning bets and other expenditures were paid, the casinos and tracks pocketed about $82 million in revenue. The Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was responsible for half of the total.

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“New Jersey has always been a strong gaming market," said Casey Clark, senior vice president of the American Gaming Association, the casino industry’s national trade group. “Crossing the $1 billion handle mark in September is an impressive indicator of the appetite of New Jerseyans and Americans across the country who have embraced legal, regulated sports betting.”

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Overall, September was a successful month for New Jersey's gambling sector, with total casino, internet, and sports betting revenue increasing by more than 40% year over year to $453.5 million.

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In 2018, New Jersey won a Supreme Court lawsuit that allowed all 50 states to provide legal sports betting, and it is now legal in more than half of the country.

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New Jersey has remained near or at the top of the national sports betting business since then. New Jersey previously held the national record for the highest money wagered on sports in a single month, with $996 million wagered in December 2020.

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In September, the casinos were similarly delighted with their performance. When compared to a year before, in-person casino revenue increased by nearly 30% to $248.5 million, and internet gambling revenue increased by nearly 40% to $122.5 million.

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