Atlantic City’s casinos enjoy best summer in a decade despite August fall-off

August’s GGR from land-based slot machines and table games declined by 5.5 per cent year-on-year to $294.9m

Atlantic City’s casinos enjoyed their best summer in a decade despite a downturn in August when spend from in-person gamblers was down at every casino apart from the Borgata.

August’s GGR from land-based slot machines and table games declined by 5.5 per cent year-on-year to $294.9m.

Eight of the nine gaming floors generated less in-person spend in August, with Ocean Resort seeing the largest fall at 13 per cent. MGM Resorts’ Borgata saw an increase of 6.4 per cent.

The summer figures were boosted by the casinos securing their best July performance since 2012.

“At the peak of summer, Atlantic City’s casino operators realised the best single-month of brick-and-mortar gross revenue since August 2025 and the second-highest such return in more than a decade,” said Brian Tyrrell, director of Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism.

James Plousis, Chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, said the summer total of in-person gamblers of $856m was the best for ten years.

Plousis said: “With summer ending, Atlantic City is entering the start of its traditional shoulder season. Last year, internet gaming win eclipsed in-person casino win in every month of the shoulder season. This trend bears watching given the ongoing pressure being felt by Atlantic City operators in the face of record-high costs and expenses.”

Sports betting revenue dropped 25 per cent in August to $61.4m from $81.9m in August 2025, due to a later start to the autumn sports calendar.