Atlantic City Rally Continues, Casino Revenue Up Another Six Percent

It's getting hotter in Atlantic City.  For the ninth casinos along the New Jersey beach, June was the second consecutive month that the city's gross gaming revenue (GGR) increased year over year.

A little over $259 million was wagered on slot machines and table games at casinos last month, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE).  Despite a 2.4% monthly decrease, that was 6.1% richer than June 2024.  But June is one day shorter than May.

For the first time in several months, iGaming was surpassed by in-person gaming.  Even yet, online casino income saw a significant increase from the previous year, with iGaming GGR rising 23.5% to $230.7 million.

In June, oddsmakers did handsomely as well.  In 2025, New Jersey has had a modest decline in handling, while oddsmakers' hold increased 53% to $91.8 million.

The total gaming revenue for June, including sports betting at the two horse racetracks in the state, was $581,581,153.  The year-to-date GGR increased 8.5% to $3.3 billion, an increase of 18.4% from June 2024.

The Renaissance of Atlantic City 

For several months, Atlantic City casino executives have been contacting Casino.org to discuss their assertions that the municipality has received significant investments, positioning the East Coast gaming hub for success. Their hypothesis is being validated by the summer data of 2025.

With tens of millions of dollars invested in casino and hotel improvements, new resort attractions, and beach restoration and expansion, Atlantic City appears to be back.

July appears to be promising as well.  This week's return of the Atlantic City airshow (Soar and Shore Festival) brought New Jersey residents and fans of airplanes and the military back to the area.  According to the International Council of Air Shows, most airshow spectators come from "well-educated, affluent families."

The durability of Atlantic City, according to James Plousis, chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission (NJCCC), is founded on the casinos' shared goal of giving guests "a world-class experience."

"A recent industry observation outlined the many efforts and successes in town despite some economic challenges and how significant capital investments at the casinos and a strong marketing campaign have combined for a positive outlook going into the summer months,” Plousis said.

Plousis went on to say that Atlantic City is vital to New Jersey's general well-being since the Casino Revenue Fund primarily provides funding for the elderly and disabled.

Not Every Property Is Doing Well

Even though the industry's GGR for in-person casino gaming has increased 1.7% so far this year, only four of the nine casinos have witnessed an increase in wins in 2025.  Borgata has increased by 7.2% to $377 million, Hard Rock has increased by 0.6% to $263.6 million, Ocean has increased by 9.8% to $75.5 million, and Harrah's has increased by 2.2% to $109.8 million.

This year, in-person play has been slow at the five other casinos: Tropicana, Bally's, Caesars, Golden Nugget, and Resorts.

At Bally's, where in-person GGR has dropped 12% to just $63.1 million over the past six months, things are at their worst.  Bally's only has a 4.5% market share in the retail gaming sector in Atlantic City.

Additionally, Bally's does not have a thriving internet gambling operation as Golden Nugget and Resorts have.  The casino's three authorized iGaming platforms, Bally Bet, BetFanatics, and Monopoly, only contributed $69.1 million of the more than $1.38 billion in online winnings through June.