NJ Sports Wagering Hits $102M in April 2026; FanDuel Holds 40% of Online Market

The NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement released April 2026 revenue figures this week, with sports wagering gross revenue hitting $102.1M; up 12.8% year-over-year from April 2025. Online sportsbook revenue accounted for $98.9M of that total (+12.5%), with the remaining $3.25M coming from retail sportsbook lounges at Atlantic City casinos and the two racetracks. Retail lounges grew 25.6% YoY off a small base. Year-to-date through April, NJ sports wagering revenue stands at $370.5M (+3.6% vs the same period in 2025).

FanDuel Extends Dominant Lead

FanDuel reported $39.7M in April monthly online sportsbook revenue alone; roughly 40% of the entire $98.9M online market for the month. YTD FanDuel sits at $147.1M (+3.4% YoY), comfortably ahead of DraftKings at $95.9M YTD. Fanatics ($30.4M YTD), BetMGM ($29.8M), and bet365 ($26.3M) round out the top five. Combined, those five brands control 92%+ of NJ online sportsbook revenue. Read our FanDuel vs DraftKings comparison.

bet365 Is the Fastest Grower

bet365 posted the largest YoY growth among material operators; up 52% YTD against the same period in 2025. The European brand has been steadily eating share with its live betting and soccer products, both timely as World Cup 2026 approaches. Fanatics also continues to scale post-PointsBet acquisition (up 10.5% YTD against last year). Caesars Sportsbook grew 19.9% YTD off the Tropicana license, while smaller Tier 3 operators including Bally Bet (+32%) and Hard Rock Bet (+19%) all gained share.

The Struggling Outliers

Two notable underperformers: theScore Bet is down 43% YTD as the brand continues to find its footing post-rebrand from ESPN BET. The brand reported $5.7M YTD; meaningful but well below the trajectory PENN Entertainment was targeting with the original ESPN partnership. DraftKings monthly revenue fell 10.6% YoY in April alone, suggesting some pressure on the #2 brand even as YTD remains roughly flat. Brands that no longer appear in DGE filings; including the previously reported Tipico/LeoVegas and MVGBet; appear to have exited the NJ market.

State Tax Take

The 19.75% online sports betting tax (in effect since July 1, 2025) generated $19.5M in state revenue from sports wagering for April alone; $11.5M from casino-partner books and $8.1M from racetrack-partner books. Add the $1.3M CRDA surcharge applied to casino operators and total April sports wagering tax revenue cleared $21M. YTD through April, sports wagering taxes have generated $76.8M for NJ state coffers, while total gaming taxes (casino, internet gaming, sports) sit at $373.9M YTD. The pending A4838 World Cup surcharge would push effective tax on tournament wagers to ~30% if passed before June 11 kickoff.

Handle and Category Breakdown

Total April handle was $934M; $905M online and $29M at retail lounges. YTD handle stands at $3.83B. Industry win percentage by sport for YTD completed events: parlays 18.5% (highest, reflecting books’ strategic emphasis on parlay-heavy promotional products), football 8.3%, baseball 4.9%, basketball 4.6%, other categories 5.5%. The parlay hold premium is why every NJ book pushes same-game-parlay products so aggressively in their welcome offers.

With World Cup 2026 kicking off June 11 at MetLife Stadium, May and June handle is expected to break April records. The state hosts eight World Cup matches including the July 19 final, with bet365 and FanDuel positioned to capture the bulk of soccer-driven handle. Whether the A4838 surcharge passes before kickoff will determine whether NJ’s tax windfall from the tournament is a record one or a regulatory experiment in event-specific betting taxation.