Atlantic City Casinos Shrug Off Winter Blues In May As Revenue Rises 5%

Written By David Danzis on June 17, 2024 - Last Updated on September 6, 2024
Gamblers play slots at Ocean Casino Resort for a story on May 2024 revenue from Atlantic City casinos.

Atlantic City casino gambling revenue from tables and slots increased 5.2% compared to a year prior, according to data from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. The favorable reporting period saw five of the city’s nine properties come out ahead of May 2023.

Gambling revenue from Atlantic City casinos came in at $239.1 million last month, according to data released Friday by the NJDGE.

James Plousis, chairman of the NJ Casino Control Commission, said May’s financial data showed “continuing stability with positive results in all three components — casino win, internet gaming win, and sports wagering revenue,” according to a press release.

“Casino win recorded its best May result in eleven years, aided by the best slot machine win since 2012.”

Similar trio leads the market once again

Among the biggest gains in May came from Hard Rock Atlantic City, which posted a massive 28.6% year-over-year increase to $49.9 million in May. Unsurprisingly, Hard Rock has the market’s largest year-to-date gains, with annual revenue at $213.8 million.

Yet Borgata Atlantic City remains the industry leader. The Marina District casino kept $61.4 million from in-person gamblers, a 1.5% increase over May 2023. For the year, Borgata has reported $287.6 million from in-person gamblers, putting it 2.8% behind last year’s pace.

May marked the 46th straight month that Borgata sat atop the Atlantic City casino revenue rankings. The property has not fallen below the top spot since July 2020, when casinos first began reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ocean Casino Resort generated just under $32 million in May, rounding out the market’s top three performers. Year-to-date, Ocean’s revenue of $165.7 is 6.6% higher than in 2023, which was the property’s best year.

This trio – with Hard Rock and Ocean recently celebrating their sixth anniversaries – have remained in the top three since July 2020.

CasinoTotal Gaming WinTable GamesPokerSlot Machines
Borgata$61,394,620$14,875,023$1,786,157$44,733,440
Hard Rock$49,865,079$16,965,056---$32,900,023
Ocean Casino$31,983,947$4,079,926---$27,904,021
Tropicana$20,096,791$4,465,876$168,895$15,462,020
Harrah's$18,246,631$3,103,170$233,452$14,910,009
Caesars$17,960,386$4,251,208---$13,709,178
Resorts$13,605,932$2,131,533---$11,474,399
Golden Nugget$13,551,743$3,376,817---$10,174,926
Bally's$12,425,975$2,443,292---$9,982,683
Total$239,131,104$55,691,901$2,188,504$181,250,699

Breaking down the rest of the Atlantic City casino landscape

The three AC casinos operated by Caesars Entertainment are squarely in the middle of the market when it comes to monthly in-person gambling revenue in May. Caesars Atlantic City posted $18 million in revenue, down 2% from 2023. Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City reported $18.3 million, a 4.2% Y-o-Y decrease. Meanwhile, Tropicana Atlantic City dipped 7% compared to a year prior, with revenue of $20.1 million.

Bally’s Atlantic City took a step back in May, sliding behind the city’s two smallest casinos. Bally’s reported $12.4 million in revenue, decreasing 5.8 % year-over-year. Through May, Bally’s AC is down 5.5% compared to last year with nearly $58 million in revenue.

The city’s first casino, Resorts Atlantic City, was about even with last year. The Boardwalk casino netted $13.6 million last month, a bump of 1.2 % from 2023. Golden Nugget Atlantic City, the city’s smallest casino hotel, generated just under $13.6 million last month, a 7.1 % increase from a year earlier.

Total gambling revenue — the sum of AC casino win, internet gaming and sports wagering — attributed to AC casinos and NJ’s two digital-only reporting entities increased more than 10% last month compared to May 2023. For the month, total gambling revenue generated roughly $467.2 million.

The welcome uptick for land-based gambling comes as online casinos in NJ enjoyed their second-highest-grossing month in the segment’s 10-and-a-half-year history. Similarly, NJ sportsbooks associated with AC casinos reported $36 million and appear on pace for a record-setting year.

Photo by Wayne Parry / AP Photo
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David Danzis

David Danzis is the former lead writer for PlayNJ. He is a New Jersey native and honors graduate of Rutgers University. As a newspaper reporter for the New Jersey Herald and Press of Atlantic City, David earned statewide awards for his coverage of politics, government, education, sports, and business. He served as PlayNJ’s Atlantic City “insider” and gaming industry expert on casinos, sports betting, and online gambling.

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