Atlantic City casinos had a strong start to the busiest time of year, as in-person gambling revenue increased for most of the market in June.
According to data released Friday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, Atlantic City casino revenue was up 5.4% last month compared to June 2022. Atlantic City casinos collectively reported more than $241.5 million from table games and slot machines. Five of the nine casinos posted a year-over-year increase, according to the NJDGE report.
Year-to-date, AC casinos have generated more than $1.35 billion in brick-and-mortar revenue, putting the industry ahead of last year’s pace. Through the first six months of 2022, casinos in Atlantic City generated slightly more than $1.31 billion in Atlantic City casino revenue.
Borgata AC continues to lead market share
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa remains the Atlantic City market leader. The Marina District casino kept $60.5 million from in-person gamblers, an 11.6% increase over June 2022. For the year, Borgata has reported $356.5 million Atlantic City casino revenue, putting it 6.3% ahead of last year’s pace.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Ocean Casino Resort both celebrated their five-year anniversaries in June.
Hard Rock generated $43.3 million last month, a slight 2.8% Y-o-Y decline. Through June, Hard Rock netted $234.3 million, trailing the first half of 2022 by 1.6%.
Ocean has been the market’s biggest mover in 2023 and continued that trend in June. The Boardwalk casino generated $34.9 million in revenue last month, a 17.6% increase over June 2022. Year-to-date, Ocean’s $190.3 million is up 18.5% compared to 2022.
The three AC casinos operated by Caesars Entertainment each generated more than $20 million in monthly in-person gambling revenue in June. Caesars AC posted $21.4 million in revenue, up 11.4% over June 2022. Harrah’s Resort AC reported $20.9 million, a 3.8% Y-o-Y increase. Meanwhile, Tropicana AC dipped a bit in June ’23 compared to a year prior, with revenue of $21 million (-1.9%).
The city’s first casino, Resorts Casino Hotel, sits atop the lower third of the market. The Boardwalk casino netted $15.2 million last month, an increase of nearly 11% over 2022.
Bally’s Atlantic City slipped backward in June after several consecutive months of positive momentum. Bally’s reported $12.3 million in revenue, dropping more than 8% year-over-year. Through June, Bally’s AC is up 0.2% over last year with nearly $73.8 million in revenue.
Golden Nugget Atlantic City brought up the rear in June. The city’s smallest casino hotel generated just over $11.8 million last month, a 6% decline from a year earlier.
NJ online casinos still growing – up to industry’s highest share of revenue
Internet gaming revenue reported by AC casinos and their digital partners was up more than 12% year-over-year in June. The AC casino licensees and their digital partners generated just under $149.3 million last month. It was the second-lowest monthly total in 2023, ahead of only February ($142.6M).
Online gambling in NJ now accounts for more than 37% of the state’s gross gaming revenue, the highest percentage in the market’s 10-year history.
Sports betting revenue also increased significantly in June. NJ sportsbooks generated nearly $66.4 million in revenue on more than $591 million in legal wagers, according to the NJDGE. AC casinos and their sports betting partners reported $35.7 million of that revenue total, a 135.1% Y-o-Y increase.
Total gaming revenue — the sum of AC casino, internet gaming and sports betting revenues — for the month was more than $426.5 million, a Y-o-Y increase of 13%. Through the first six months of 2023, the industry has reported more than $2.4 billion in revenue, which is nearly 11% more than the total in the first half of 2022.
