Atlantic City casinos marked a solid start to the new year last month

“In January, Atlantic City’s casinos win was the second-best January result in 13 years,” said New Jersey Casino Control Commission Chairman James Plousis in his remarks following the Feb. 14 release of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s (DGE) January 2025 gaming report. “It also grew compared to last year, with increases at both slot machines and table games.”

The nine properties reported a win of $210.1 million last month (up 2.6%). Meanwhile, internet gaming posted another huge month — with a $221.6 million win reported by the casinos and their partners (up 20.9%).

Atlantic City’s nine casino hotels started 2025 on the right foot with a 2.6% increase year-over-year in brick-and-mortar gaming revenue, and along with their internet gaming partners, Atlantic City operators also realized a nearly 21% year-over-year increase in internet gaming revenue,” said Jane Bokunewicz, faculty director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism (LIGHT), Stockton University School of Business, in her analysis of the January report.

“Internet gaming win grew nearly 21% compared to last January, eclipsing $200 million for the fifth consecutive month, going back to last summer,” said Plousis.

Bokunewicz said that the report shows that the rise of internet gaming has not resulted in brick-and-mortar gaming behind.

“While internet gaming again surpassed brick-and-mortar for total gaming revenue, brick-and-mortar still realized a year-over-year increase in January (despite harsher winter weather than we’ve seen recently),” said Bokunewicz. “This is an encouraging sign for the year ahead.”

Other key figures from the January report include:

• Total gaming revenue for the casinos, racetracks, and their partners: $553.9 million down 0.9% from January 2024
• Revenue taxes: $62.1 million
• Sports wagering total handle: $1.15 billion
• Sports wagering gross revenue: $122.2 million down 28.4% from January 2024
• Top performing properties by casino win:
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    • Borgata – $60.4 million up 4.7%
    • Hard Rock – $38.1 million up 2%
    • Ocean Casino – $35.2 million up 6.4

“Atlantic City’s monthly total gaming revenue grew, even though overall total gaming revenue, which includes racetracks, declined slightly compared to last January,” said Plousis.

“Sports wagering was also a bright spot for Atlantic City’s operators and their partners,” said Bokunewicz. “Retail sportsbooks in Atlantic City more than tripled their revenue for the month, and the casinos, along with their partners, realized a more than 16% increase in year-over-year online sports wagering revenue.

“It seems that in terms of revenues, casino sportsbooks performed better than racetrack sportsbooks this month, with casino sportsbooks showing year-over-year increases while racetracks saw declines,” she continued. “When activity from racetracks and their partners are included, New Jersey saw a 6.4% and 29% year-over-year decrease in retail and online sports wagering.”

“The latest NJDGE data highlights stability and growth in key areas of New Jersey’s gaming industry,” Bill Pascrell III, partner at PPAG, told NJBIZ. “Casino win rose 2.6% in January 2025 to $210.1 million, while internet gaming surged 20.9% to $221.6 million, showcasing the industry’s digital expansion. Though sports wagering revenue dipped 28.4% from January 2024, the market remains strong after significant growth in prior months.”