Gov. Phil Murphy made a bold prediction earlier this month: New Jersey will “very soon dethrone Nevada as the sports gaming capital of America.”

Well, look at what we have here ...

For the very first time, sports betting operations in the Garden State raked in more money in sports bets ina single month than those in Nevada, home to Las Vegas, long considered the nation’s sports wagering mecca. That’s the first time that’s happened in a single month.

New Jersey accepted $318.9 million in bets in May, while Nevada took in $317.4 million, according to figures released Thursday by Nevada’s state gaming control.

The news comes one year after the U.S. Supreme Court handed New Jersey an historic victory in its years-long case to overturn a federal ban and legalize such betting at casinos and racetracks.

For decades, Las Vegas was the only place in the country with full-scale legal sports betting. That opened the door to legal sports wagering all over the U.S.

But experts and officials say New Jersey has seen impressive results, separating itself since launching sports betting last June.

The state’s 10 sportsbooks — including eight Atlantic City casinos and two tracks — have accepted more than $3 billion in wagers over the first year, boosted by the fact that it’s one of only a handful of states to have mobile sports betting.

But don’t put a victory sign on the Atlantic City Expressway just yet. May’s number’s represent only one month’s haul. And for the first time, Nevada took in $5 billion in sports bets in 2018.

Experts told NJ Advance Media last month that New Jersey has a strong change to challenge Nevada for sports betting revenue.

But Chris Grove, an analyst at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, said it may be tough for the state to “unseat Nevada as the cultural hub of sports betting in the U.S.” without major structural changes

Six other states have legalized sports betting over the last year. The U.S. has seen more than $9 billion in sports wagers in that time.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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