Despite the fact that New York does not host any official casinos, the state has become one of the biggest gambling markets in America. This year, is has surpassed New Jersey (home to Atlantic City), which has now fallen to 4th place, behind Nevada and California as well.
In New York, the only legal gaming operations are slots parlours that existing in racetracks, Native casinos and the local lottery. Together, these activities generated $5.4 billion in 2011. $1.05 billion came from Native casinos, $2.8 came from the local lottery and $1.08 came from slots parlours. As such, New York is just behind Nevada, which was worth $10.5 billion in 2011, and California, which generated $9.7 billion.
This is unfortunate news for New Jersey. The state hosts the second-largest gambling entertainment complex in the country, and it has failed to make the Top 3 in terms of gaming revenue for the year. So, it seems appropriate that New Jersey would push forward with its online gambling legislation. It certainly needs to generate additional gaming income to get back on top, and legalized online casinos would do the trick.
