If it wasn’t already obvious, New Jersey is playing in the big leagues now.
For the first time ever, New Jersey’s sports gambling handle was larger than Nevada’s for a calendar month.
According to ESPN’s David Purdum, the Garden State just edged out Vegas for the month of May.
New Jersey’s historic accomplishment comes exactly one year after the Supreme Court ruled against the established Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.
According to Purdum, New Jersey’s handle in the first 12 months of operation is north of $3 billion.
Retired state senator Raymond Lesniak, who was instrumental in bringing legal sports betting to New Jersey, told ESPN that he’s not surprised by the state’s gambling success so far.
“I’ve been saying all along that the Northeast and New Jersey is a hotbed of sports activity,” Lesniak told Purdum. “We love our sports. We are well on our way, in overall gaming, to becoming the Las Vegas of the East Coast.”
New Jersey is certainly far ahead of other states who are still working to establish legal sports gambling.
New Jersey’s win does come with a surprising outcome for Nevada. According to cdcgamingreports.com, Nevada gaming revenues declined 6 percent in May.
It will be interesting to monitor this situation going forward. Is this a part of a sustainable trend, or just a small milestone for New Jersey that is difficult to repeat? With football season right around the corner, both states will surely see their numbers rise in the coming months.