Atlantic City Casinos Improve During June, But Revenue Is Below Where Expected

Atlantic City continued its reversal in course during June, posting its second straight month of year-over-year growth.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) reported that the nine local casinos near the water took in more than $259 million in revenue last month. That represented a 6.1 percent increase on the total reported for June 2024 ($244.1 million) despite a 2.4 percent decline from the total reported in May ($265.3 million). 

Retail casinos also outperformed New Jersey’s iGaming market, which is one of seven legal statewide jurisdictions. 

Heading in the right direction 

The NJDGE revealed that online gaming revenue during June only managed to hit $230.7 million, which was about 89.1 percent of the retail total. However, the iGaming figure represented a 23.5 percent year-over-year increase on the $186.8 million figure from June 2024.

June’s performance was against the grain in several ways. The general expectation for tourist-rich areas such as Atlantic City to flourish during the summer months, yet June’s revenue total was below May’s.

At the same time, the rise of New Jersey online casinos did not cannibalize retail facilities. Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University, noted that Atlantic City casinos produced encouraging numbers despite being disadvantaged by the calendar.

“June’s 6% year-over-year increase is an encouraging sign for Atlantic City’s casino operators, especially since there was one less Saturday in the month this year compared to 2024,” said Bokunewicz.

The recent growth in retail revenue also nullified the impact of first-quarter losses. New Jersey’s retail casino market is now 1.7 percent ahead of where it was at the same time during 2024 in year-to-date revenue ($1.4 billion).

A closer look

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Caesars Atlantic City, and Ocean Casino Resort were the biggest winners of June, reporting significant year-over-year gains.

Borgata’s $76.7 million revenue total was a 19.4 percent year-over-year increase; Caesars’ $20.5 million was a 7.4 percent bump; and Ocean’s $43.5 million revenue was a 30.1 percent overperformance.

Despite the overall market growth, the remaining six casinos all reported year-over-year declines.

Bally’s Atlantic City was down 18.2 percent to $11 million; Golden Nugget was down 7.3 percent to $11.6 million; Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City was down 5.5 percent to $45.8 million; Harrah’s Resort was down 3.2 percent to $17.1 million; Resorts Casino Hotel was down 2.3 percent to $14.6 million; and Tropicana was down 10.2 percent to $18.1 million.

Casino Control Commission Chairman James T. Plousis said that Atlantic City’s casinos are still vital to the state.

“Clearly, the Atlantic City gaming industry remains not only a very powerful economic engine, but also a significant contributor to New Jersey’s programs benefitting senior citizens and the disabled,” Plousis said.

Plousis also shared optimism for the future. Despite June’s total uncharacteristically falling below May’s, he anticipated stronger performances in June and August due to casinos’ investment and marketing initiatives.