What Bettors Are Playing: Atlantic City Revenue Breakdown

Since 1978, Atlantic City has been famous for one thing, and one thing only: gambling. The state now boasts a nearly-$6 billion gaming industry across casino gambling, horse racing, and sports betting.

So, how does that $6 billion Atlantic City revenue break down? What are the players playing at the AC casinos? Let us take you through it all.

Atlantic City Casino Revenue in December

What we can gather from the revenue from Atlantic City casinos in December is that players primarily preferred to stay indoors and gamble online.

Revenue from the online casinos offered by operators in the city throughout December was up a staggering 26.5% to $228 million from the $180.3 million recorded at the same time last year, according to data released by the Division of Gaming Enforcement.

That’s not to say that players avoided the land-based venues; it was just that revenues of Atlantic City casino profits were down slightly compared to December 2023. According to the report, the casinos reported revenues of $231.8 million for the month, which was down 0.3% from the previous year.

The biggest surprise is that sports betting took a major hit during the month despite annual revenue for the gambling vertical being up 8.7%. Sports wagering revenue across both the land-based venues and online bookies was down a staggering 42.6% to $62.8 million for the month compared to the same month the previous year.

Across all Atlantic City gambling industry verticals, revenue proved almost identical to what was reported in 2023. Across all casinos and racetracks, December brought $552.6 million, just a 0.1% increase year on year.

Annual Atlantic City Gambling Industry Revenue

While December didn’t experience much of a gain, according to the same report by the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement, industry recorded an annual increase in revenue of 9% in 2024 when compared to 2023.

As for the numbers posted, AC revenue brought in from gambling was $6.03 billion throughout 2024. That is up from the $5.78 billion recorded in 2023.

Land-based gambling was responsible for most of that revenue, but not by a huge amount. Brick-and-mortar casinos in the city combined to attract a yearly revenue of $2.82 billion. Year on year, that figure is up 1.1%.

That was followed by the online casino segment, which was responsible for $2.39 billion of the state’s gambling revenue. It is this sector that really saw a significant increase, with that figure up 24.1% from $1.92 billion in 2023.

Finally, as discussed earlier, sports betting revenue in Atlantic City jumped up 8.7% to $1.09 billion in 2024.

What Casino Games Top the Popularity Charts in Atlantic City?

Let’s now have a look at which casino games are most popular.

Slots Dominate the Charts

Slot games in Atlantic City casinos have always proved to be the most popular casino games with AC residents or visitors to the state.

That’s understandable, considering how many there are and how accessible they are, coupled with how easy they are to understand and play. Casual players and experienced casino goers alike will always consider a session on slots.

While we do not have the figures for 2024 as of yet, as they’ve not been posted by The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, we can see from figures recorded in 2023 that slot gaming brings in far more revenue than any other casino game. Those slot games brought in total revenues of $22,791,520,087 for the year.

The table below, filled with data exported from the report, shows the total wins recorded by players on the slot machines of different stakes and the total revenue they brought. The savvy players among you should also note the win percentages and use them as a guide the next time you visit a casino.

Penny slots and multi-denomination machines once again proved the most popular by quite a distance from the other types available. Between them, they brought in $18,511,402,412. The other denomination slots combined were responsible for $4,280,117,675 in revenue.

Interestingly, the penny slots recorded the highest win percentage of 11.9% for players, which is something to take note of. Furthermore, looking at those statistics, we’d recommend avoiding the $0.50 stake slots if they’re only going to let you win 5.2% of the time.

What About Atlantic City Casino Table Games?

While the action Atlantic City table games attract pales in comparison to slots, the above mentioned report shows they still brought in combined revenues of $4,317,744,408. Throughout the year, players won $718,706,027 at a win percentage of 16.6%.

As for the most played games, blackjack proved to be the most popular table game for players at the Atlantic City casinos. Total revenue across the state totaled up to $1,542,878,943, with players winning 13.8% of the time. Surprisingly, it also has the lowest win percentage of all the most played games. We assume not everyone is aware of basic blackjack strategy!

Next in the popularity stakes was Mini Baccarat, which brought revenues of $1,261,396,270 and player wins of $185,261,666.

The figures for roulette surprised us, but we’d assume that’s due to the influx of triple 0 tables that have been brought in by casinos across the state.

As for the full breakdown, there are far too many table games to list them all individually, and the figures can be skewed with some only being available in one or two establishments.

For that reason we’ve left out any game that does not feature at all venues across the Garden State. That includes Sic Bo, Pai Gow, and a variety of poker variations like Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker and Mississippi Stud.

Looking at those win percentages, it seems Atlantic City gamblers should start perfecting their Three Card Poker strategies, as that seems the most likely game to payout!

One Thing is Certain: AC Gambling is On the Rise

Overall, Atlantic City gambling is looking in great shape with it now a $6 billion industry that has grown close to 10% in the last year.

We’re not surprised as states with legalized casino gambling across the country have reported similar increases.

It just shows that gambling, for its faults and the potential issues it can cause, is not only becoming increasingly popular but is bringing in huge state revenues across America. It will be interesting to see how these figures tally up with those yet to come in 2025.