For the first time in over a year, Atlantic City casino revenue returned to pre-pandemic levels in July.
The nine casinos reported $276.9 million in table games and slot machine revenue last month, according to data released Monday by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.
NJ online gambling revenue soared to an all-time high of $118.7 million while sports betting added another $20.7 million.
The sum of all three resulted in a record-setting $416.28 million in total gambling revenue in July.
“With strong returns from both land-based and internet gaming, July 2021 total gaming revenue for Atlantic City’s casinos broke the near-term single month total gross gaming revenue record again, exceeding June 2021 ($345.7 million) by 20.4%,” noted Jane Bokunewicz, director of Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism (LIGHT).
Atlantic City casino revenue up for most, but not all
Five of the nine Atlantic City casinos performed better in July 2021 than July 2019, according to the NJDGE data.
Ocean Casino Resort and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City posted double-digit increases last month compared to July 2019. Ocean’s $30.3 million is a 58% increase. Meanwhile, Hard Rock’s $47.7 million in July is 23% higher than two years ago.
Caesars Atlantic City ($26 million, +4.5%), Resorts Casino Hotel ($18.6 million, +5.4%), and Tropicana Atlantic City ($29.6 million, +2%) also outperformed July 2019.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is still Atlantic City’s top earner with $63.9 million. However, that is $16.9 million less than, or -21%, from 2019.
Bally’s Atlantic City ($16.25 million, -8.5%), Golden Nugget Atlantic City ($15.5 million, -20%), and Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City ($29 million, -2.3%) round out the monthly results.
| Casino | Table & Other | Poker | Slot Machines | Total Gaming Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bally's | $5,250,276 | $ - | $10,997,522 | $16,247,798 |
| Borgata | $16,187,679 | $1,486,373 | $46,185,035 | $63,859,087 |
| Caesars | $6,394,658 | $ - | $19,629,755 | $26,024,413 |
| Golden Nugget | $2,544,088 | $ - | $12,981,073 | $15,525,161 |
| Hard Rock | $15,044,798 | $ - | $32,671,096 | $47,715,894 |
| Harrah's | $6,206,659 | $369,712 | $22,480,522 | $29,056,893 |
| Ocean Casino | $7,863,670 | $ - | $22,438,809 | $30,302,479 |
| Resorts | $3,776,010 | $- | $14,794,032 | $18,570,042 |
| Tropicana | $6,911,332 | $240,341 | $22,446,722 | $29,598,395 |
| Total | $70,179,170 | $2,096,426 | $204,624,566 | $276,900,162 |
Gamblers flocked to AC in July
July 2021 had one more Saturday than 2019. The amount gambled on the floors of Atlantic City casinos increased in July 2021 over 2019, too.
Coin-in, or the amount gambled in slot machines, increased 2% across the city. Nearly $2.2 billion went into AC slot machines in July.
As a result, slot win for the casinos is up almost 6% over 2019. The $204 million in slot revenue is the industry’s highest total in seven years.
Table games drop also increased in 2021 compared to 2019. The $479 million wagered on AC tables is a 3% increase over 2019.
However, gamblers had the better month. Table games win was down $11 million, or nearly 14%, from two years ago.
Closing in on 2019 total gambling revenue
Year-to-date figures highlight just how much online gambling and sports betting are offsetting in-person losses.
Through July, Atlantic City casino revenue is $1.387 billion. In the first seven months of 2019, land-based revenue was $1.54 billion.
The 10% difference is somewhat misleading because only Hard Rock and Ocean are doing better in 2021 than 2019. The other seven properties are down anywhere from 12% to 30%.
On the other hand, online gambling revenue is up 193% and sports betting is up 230%.
Online gambling revenue through July is $752.9 million. Sports betting revenue over the same period is $158.5 million.
Total gaming revenue in 2021 is up 24.6% over 2019. Year-to-date, total gambling revenue is $2.298 billion.
For all of 2019, the Atlantic City casino industry reported $3.3 billion in total gaming revenue.
