New Jersey casinos, racetracks that accept sports bets and online partners for both types of games earned more than $531 million in August, an increase of nearly 13% from the previous year.
Figures released Friday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement also showed that bets placed in person on the premises of Atlantic City‘s nine casinos increased 2.3% from the previous year, totaling $280.2 million.
In-person earnings are an important metric for Atlantic City’s casino industry as it seeks to return to and surpass pre-pandemic business levels.
The nine casinos collectively took in $280 million in August, down from $286 million in August 2019, and only three casinos — Borgata, Hard Rock and Ocean — made more last month from in-person gamblers than they made in August 2019 .
The $531 million total includes money won from in-person gamblers, online gamblers and from sports betting at casinos and racetracks.
“Atlantic City’s total August gaming revenue surpassed $500 million for only the second time in history, and is on track for a very strong year,” said James Plousis, chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. “Hotel-casinos reported the second-highest total gaming revenue since inception and their best result in 18 years.”
Jane Bokunewicz, director of Stockton University’s Lloyd Levenson Institute, which studies Atlantic City’s gaming market, said 2023 is shaping up to be a good year for the city’s casinos.
“If New Jersey follows national trends, we could be looking at the industry’s best year in terms of gross gaming revenue in over a decade,” Bokunewicz said.
The state remains optimistic about the coming months of the year.
