Sports bettors wager more in New Jersey than in Nevada for the first time

Just a year after New Jersey was able to legalize sports betting as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court repeal of PASPA, the state’s operators passed a major milestone.

For the first time, sports bettors wagered more in New Jersey than in Nevada, which for decades was the lone, dominant state in the sports-betting landscape, Bloomberg reports.

The milestone continues a trend expected in the industry for a few months now. Not only does New Jersey have a lot more people than Nevada, but it benefits from customers coming from New York and Pennsylvania to wager remotely. The mobile options in New Jersey also feature better technology, which helps drive betting.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy had predicted these results a few weeks ago, in a speech delivered at  the East Coast Gaming Conference and NextGen Gaming Forum: "New Jersey — yes, New Jersey — can very soon and will very soon dethrone Nevada as the sports gaming capital of America," Murphy said.

Thrilled to address the @EastCoastGaming Congress and tell our story. From sports betting to a regulatory culture that allows for innovation to @NJCRDA's community-based investments, New Jersey and Atlantic City are back in business. #ECG23 pic.twitter.com/wwNyOCn0qC

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) 13 de junio de 2019

The two states report their handles a little differently. New Jersey’s numbers include futures bets -- such as a wager for the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series. The Nevada numbers don’t count those bets until they’re paid out.

Though the numbers will likely ebb and flow, the milestone shows just how big an industry sports betting can become across the U.S.