Written by :
Published on :
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — Atlantic City's casinos won slightly less from gamblers in August than they did a year earlier, according to figures released Wednesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
The data showed that the seven casinos won $244.8 million in August, a decline of 0.4 percent compared with August 2016.
But when the now-shuttered Trump Taj Mahal is excluded, Atlantic City's casino revenue was up by 5.5 percent from a year ago. The Trump Taj Mahal shut down last October.
"August capped off a very solid summer for the casinos in Atlantic City," said Matt Levinson, chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.
Internet gambling also continued on a tear in New Jersey, up 32.4 percent in August compared with a year earlier. The casinos won more than $16 million online last month.
Five of the seven casinos currently operating showed increases in August, led by Tropicana, which was up 13.5 percent to $37.4 million.
The Borgata was up 7.8 percent to nearly $74.7 million; Resorts was up 6.5 percent to $18.6 million; the Golden Nugget was up 5.2 percent to $25.1 million; and Bally's was up 0.2 percent to $20.9 million.
Harrah's was down 3.9 percent to $32.2 million, and Caesars was down 0.6 percent to $27.7 million.
"We all know that summer is the crucial time for casinos, and a strong performance from Memorial Day to Labor Day is key to their success," Levinson said. "When you see improvements like these month after month, season after season, a trend is clearly emerging. New Jersey's operating casinos are getting stronger and healthier."
In internet gambling, the Golden Nugget continued to hold the top spot in August, with nearly $5.2 million in online revenue, an increase of nearly 50 percent from a year ago. Caesars Interactive-NJ won $4.4 million; Borgata won $4.2 million; Tropicana won $3.8 million, and Resorts Digital won $3.5 million.
For the first eight months of the year, Atlantic City's casinos have won $1.8 billion, which is 2 percent ahead of their take at the same point last year. Excluding the Taj Mahal, the seven surviving casinos are 9.2 percent ahead of where they were at this point last year.
