The Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) today announced continued growth for Atlantic City in February, according to the March 13 Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) report. The gains in casino, Internet gaming revenues and sports betting, build upon gains in revenue, employment and visitor numbers in 2018.
“Since the start of the new year, Atlantic City continues to see sustained revenue and tourism growth in 2019,” said Kevin Ortzman, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey. “As we head into March, with March Madness and baseball season approaching, we are very hopeful that Atlantic City will continue to grow as a destination resort for visitors.”
The DGE report released Wednesday indicates that February gaming revenue for Atlantic City was over $232 million. This reflects a 21 percent increase over the same period last year. Other highlights from the DGE report include:
- Online gaming revenue was nearly $32 million, up 44 percent over February 2018.
- The industry generated nearly $20 million in taxes and fees collected by the state in February 2019.
“The latest numbers, combined with the tourism and gaming numbers of 2018, are encouraging as Atlantic City continues to grow and diversify the market,” said Rummy Pandit, executive director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism at Stockton University. “Overall, Atlantic City is trending positively, and we are optimistic that this economic growth will continue.”
Last year, Atlantic City saw significant gains in the following areas:
- Gaming revenue increased: In 2018, there was a 7.5 percent increase in annual gaming revenue and approximately $232 million in taxes and fees collected by the state. Specifically, online gaming generated nearly $45 million in taxes, and sports betting generated $1.3 million in taxes.
- Employment numbers increased: There was a 3.6 percent increase in employment in 2018.
- Tourism increased: Atlantic City saw an increase of visitors in 2018, recording 19.24 million toll-paying vehicles, up from 18.5 million in 2017, according to the South Jersey Transportation Authority.
The casino industry continues to work to solidify the seaside resort’s comeback by diversifying Atlantic City’s offerings, as well as investing hundreds of millions of dollars in redevelopment projects and non-gaming services to attract new visitors. The industry’s efforts have advanced the revitalization of Atlantic City, transforming the city into a business conference destination and first-class resort that features great restaurants, entertainment and shopping.