Atlantic City is having a strong start to the year in terms of casino, internet and sports betting revenues, according to figures released Wednesday by state regulators.
“2019 is off to a solid start for Atlantic City,” Kevin Ortzman, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said. “With increases across the board in casino, sports betting and online gaming revenue last month, along with strong employment numbers at the end of 2018, we look forward to making 2019 another positive year. With the continued success of sports betting and additional non-gaming offerings, visitors have so many reasons to visit America’s Playground.”
The Division of Gaming Enforcement‘s January 2019 gaming revenue report showed January’s total gaming revenue was more than $220 million, a 19.8 percent increase over the same period last year.
Other highlights from the DGE report include:
- Patrons wagered nearly $19 million on sports betting in New Jersey;
- Online casino gaming was up more than 16 percent in January, compared to December 2018;
- Online gaming revenue was more than $33 million, up 53 percent over January 2018;
- In January, online casino operators reported $31.71 million in online gross gaming wins and $1.88 million in online poker gross gaming wins.
The report said New Jersey’s gambling sites generated $33.59 million in online poker and casino revenues in January, up $4.61 million from the previous month.
The uptick marks the highest revenues recorded to date.
“If the market continues to head in this direction, the total online gaming revenues for 2019 will be between $600–$700 million, which is beyond most people’s expectations for the first year of sports betting. These strong results will most likely increase the pace of other states’ race to regulation,” Rich Migliorisi, BonusSeeker.com managing editor, said.
In addition, the DGE report announced that employment numbers at Atlantic City’s casinos increased by more than 20 percent in December 2018 to 27,927 compared to the same time last year (22,178).
“Employment numbers from the end of last year show that the casino industry continues to be a vital economic engine for Atlantic City,” Joseph Kelly, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce, said. “The latest revenue numbers are great news for the city, region and state. This sustained growth creates more tourism, jobs and economic activity in Atlantic City.
