February Blizzard Cools Atlantic City Casinos, But iGaming Stays Hot
Posted on: March 17, 2026, 08:31h.
Last updated on: March 17, 2026, 08:31h.
- A February storm led to flat Atlantic City casino revenue
- Online casinos likely benefited from the snow
- Atlantic City is approaching its busy season
A February blizzard that ravaged much of the Northeast hampered Atlantic City casino revenue.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) reports that the nine casinos in Atlantic City won $202.9 million last month, a negligent 0.3% decline from February 2025.
February would have been a winner had it not been for the Feb. 22-23 blizzard that dumped around 15″ of snow on the casino town. Though the casinos remained open, the state and local government urged the public to avoid travel.
“With the region impeded by a blizzard in late February, Atlantic City casinos reported a marginal decline in monthly casino win,” said James Plousis, chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.
Only four casinos saw year-over-year in-person GGR increases in February. Those properties were Bally’s (up 6.6%, $9.2 million), Borgata (7.7%, $53.7 million), Caesars (3.6%, $14.5 million), and Ocean (9.4%, $35.4 million).
Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Harrah’s, Resorts, and Tropicana were all in the red in terms of legacy play.
Despite a challenging operating climate in February, Atlantic City casino revenue through two months of 2026 remained positive, up 0.7% to $416.2 million.
iGaming Benefits From Poor Weather
The February snowstorm kept millions of New Jersey residents home. Many took to their internet devices for entertainment.
Gaming revenue from online casinos surged 21.2% to $251.8 million. The iGaming platforms won $44 million more last month than they did in February 2025.
Internet gaming win recorded double-digit percentage growth, eclipsing $250 million for a fifth consecutive month,” said Plousis.
FanDuel and DraftKings, respectively partnered with Golden Nugget and Resorts, led the iGaming market at $58 million and $45.2 million in GGR.
New Jersey online casinos have won $510.7 million through just two months of the year. The state’s online gaming market had never eclipsed the $500 million mark through February.
iGaming began in New Jersey in November 2013. The state’s all-time best iGaming month came last December when online casinos reported GGR of $273.1 million. Online casinos recently surpassed Atlantic City in terms of gross revenue.
Oddsmakers added $66 million in February win, a 10.3% decline from the prior year. Super Bowl LIX saw significant public action on the Seattle Seahawks to cover and win against the New England Patriots, which they did.
With all gaming verticals combined, New Jersey’s commercial gaming interests won $520.7 million from players in February 2026. That was 7.4% higher, a difference of $36 million, than February 2025.
Looking Ahead
Atlantic City is gearing up for its busy season. The 2025 beach restoration project has been completed, and new amenities off of the casino floors are designed to make the destination appealing to a wider audience.
Several casinos have invested millions of dollars in upgrading their hotel rooms and resort facilities. In February, Hard Rock announced $50 million in capital improvements. Tropicana is nearly finished with its Solana Tower renovation.
Last month, Caesars Atlantic City secured a beach lease with the city to build and operate a beach bar. The Caesars attraction will join the LandShark Beach Bar at Resorts, the Bungalow Beach Bar near Tropicana, and the Bally’s Beach Bar.
Last Comments ( 2 )
The 2025 beach restoration is nearly gone in some spots. Take a look in front of Ocean. At high tide, there’s maybe 20 feet of beach left. Respectfully, Don.
Thanks for the insight, Don. Admittedly haven't been able to get to AC yet this year.