New Jersey Sports Bettors Set Record With Revised NBA, NHL Schedule

New Jersey sports bettors set a record in August for the most money ever waged in a state during a single month.

Sportsbooks reported a handle of $667.9 million last month, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General reports. It surpassed the previous record of $614.1 million bets on sports in Nevada during November 2019.

Online sports betting accounted for $601.9 million of the handle.

New Jersey made $39.5 million in sports wagering gross revenue for August. Sports betting revenue was up 56.7% compared to August 2019.

There was $315 million wagered on sports in New Jersey in July. The return of the NBA, NHL and MLB helped that figure more than double the following month.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, all three sports played throughout August. The month is typically dominated by baseball and exhibition football games.

The NBA restarted its season on July 30 and began the playoffs in the middle of August. The MLB started a 60-game season on July 23. A 24-team NHL postseason started on the first day of the month.

The NFL didn’t play any preseason games in August, returning after a seven-month break on Sept. 10. With all four sports active during September, New Jersey could potentially set a new record for the second straight month.