Atlantic City Casinos Post 12-Year April High With $235.6 Million in In-Person Revenue
Posted on: May 18, 2026, 07:59h.
Last updated on: May 18, 2026, 07:59h.
- Atlantic City casinos saw their gaming win jump 12% in April
- All but Golden Nugget reported higher GGR
- Golden Nugget could be a casualty of a possible Caesars takeover by Tilman Fertitta
Atlantic City casinos generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of nearly $235.6 million from in-person gamblers in April. That represented a 12% gain on April 2025.
Atlantic City faces a worrying future with three full-scale casino resorts coming to New York City. The multibillion-dollar properties, Resorts World New York City near JFK International, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park at the Mets’ Citi Field MLB ballpark, and Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point, are expected to impact the nine casinos down the New Jersey shore.
For now, however, business hasn’t been better in years. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reports that the casinos won $169.4 million from their physical slot machines and $66.2 million from their table games last month. The tally marked the city’s best April since 2012.
Each casino hotel reported growth in either slot machine win or table game win, with five operators reporting growth in both categories. Year-to-date, casino win is on its best pace in 14 years due to a double-digit increase in table game win and a modest increase in slot machine win,” explained James Plousis, chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.
Through four months, 2026 in-person GGR is 4% higher at $888.5 million. As Plousis cited, table game win is up over 10%.
iGaming Outpacing Retail
Atlantic City’s retail business is performing well. The gains come as New Jersey’s iGaming market only continues to expand.
Online casino revenue climbed 12% in April to $263.1 million. April marked the eighth consecutive month where iGaming eclipsed in-person casino revenue. April was additionally iGaming’s third-best month on record. New Jersey’s online casino industry dates back to 2013.
Year to date, GGR from iGaming has moved upwards of $1 billion. It’s the first time in history that iGaming win eclipsed the 10-digit market through only four months.
Oddsmakers also enjoyed a prosperous April, with the sportsbooks keeping $102.1 million of the bets. That was a 13% year-over-year gain.
Through April, sports betting revenue is at $370.5 million, 4% higher than at this time a year ago.
Industry-wide, GGR in four months totaled $2.3 billion, 9% richer.
Golden Nugget Could Be on Chopping Block
Billionaire Tilman Fertitta reportedly continues his pursuit of acquiring Caesars Entertainment. If that happens, a casino in Atlantic City from the combined merger would likely be put up for sale, possibly stemming from market overlap decisions or monopoly concerns raised by the DGE.
Last week, JPMorgan gaming analyst Daniel Politzer opined that the Golden Nugget, which Fertitta owns, would be the safest bet for closing or a sale.
In April, Golden Nugget was the only casino of the nine to report lower in-person GGR. Through April, the casino’s retail GGR is down 6% to $40.9 million. That ranks eighth, with only Bally’s lower.
Golden Nugget does well online, with its FanDuel and BetRivers iGaming partnerships. But those deals could be rolled into one of Caesars’ other Atlantic City brick-and-mortar holdings, which include Caesars, Harrah’s, and Tropicana. Caesars collectively operates its online casino and sportsbook partnerships as Caesars Interactive Entertainment New Jersey (CIENJ).
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