ATLANTIC CITY — The city’s casinos had their best summer in over a decade, powered by an August that saw good news for brick-and-mortar properties and great news for internet gambling, which set yet another monthly record.
Figures released Tuesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the nine casinos collectively won nearly $312 million in August, up 6.1% from the same month a year ago.
Brick-and-mortar casinos won more than online betting operations for the fourth straight month, surely a welcome development in a market that had been tilting strongly toward remote internet betting that didn’t require people to travel to the city and spend their money in person.
Internet revenues are also shared with outside parties like tech platforms and sportsbooks, and are not solely for the casinos to keep.
That said, internet gambling set another record in August at $248 million, surpassing the previous record set just a month earlier.
“We’re happy the market found some growth; it was a very good month,” said Mark Giannantonio, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey and of Resorts Casino Hotel. “Hopefully it can be sustained into the fall and winter months. I’m very happy about it.”
James Plousis, chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, said the casinos had their highest August casino win since 2012.
“Atlantic City finished the summer strongly in August,” he said. “For the third time this year, New Jersey’s total gaming revenue surpassed $600 million in one month. Year-to-date, it surpassed $4.5 billion sooner than all prior years.”
The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority will consider redevelopment plans Tuesday to improve three neighborhoods in Atlantic City.
From June through August, the casinos won more than $855 million, their best summer in over a decade, growing 5.5% compared to the same three-month period last year.
Total gambling revenue for casinos, racetracks that take sports bets and their partners was $642.2 million, up 15.7% from a year earlier.
Jane Bokunewicz, director of Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, which studies the Atlantic City gambling market, called the August revenue figures “a breath of fresh air for Atlantic City’s casino operators.”
“Early this year, concern was raised when internet gaming revenues exceeded brick-and-mortar,” she said. “The peak summer season in Atlantic City seems to have reversed that trend, with June through August revenue at the slots and tables exceeding internet gaming revenue by more than $125 million.
“Summer returns seem to have gotten year-to-date revenues back on track after a slow start to the year,” she added. “Operators will be facing fall and winter 2025 with a 2.8% year-over-year cushion, which is a stark contrast to August 2024 when operators lagged year-to-date August 2023 ($1.93 billion) by -0.2%.”
Bokunewicz said it will be interesting to see how the strong summer numbers affect Atlantic City’s full-year figures, including the all-important gross operating profit.
The casinos and tracks took $778 million worth of sports bets in August, keeping nearly $82 million as revenue after winning bets and other expenses were paid.
In terms of money won from in-person gamblers, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa won $80.2 million, up 8.2% from a year earlier; Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City won $58.3 million, up 5.3%; Ocean Casino Resort won $51.1 million, up 16.2%; Harrah’s Resort won $26.4 million, up 5.5%; Tropicana won $25.8 million, up 3.8%; Caesars won $24.7 million, up 3.1%; Resorts Casino Hotel won $16.1 million, up 0.3%; Bally’s won $14.4 million, down 7.6%; and Golden Nugget also won $14.4 million, down 1.2%.
The biggest internet winners in August were FanDuel, associated with Golden Nugget, at $57.1 million, up 38.2%; DraftKings, associated with Resorts, at $47 million, up 9%; BetMGM, associated with Borgata, at $32.5 million, up nearly 47%, and Borgata at $20.5 million, up 1.4%.
Contact Wayne Parry:
609-272-7000
wparry@pressofac.com
X @WayneParryAC
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