Atlantic City's casino industry is showing strong momentum as we head into the busy summer season. The nine casinos operating in our city reported $235.6 million in revenue for April, representing an impressive 11.7% increase compared to the $211.0 million recorded in April 2025.
This solid performance has helped push our local gaming industry to a 3.9% increase for the year so far. Through the first four months of 2026, Atlantic City casinos have tallied $888.5 million in revenue, compared to $855.4 million at this point last year.
Borgata Leads the Pack
Eight of our nine commercial casinos showed revenue growth year-over-year in April, with Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa continuing its dominant position in the local market. The property brought in $67.0 million last month, nearly $22 million ahead of its closest competitor, Hard Rock Atlantic City, which posted $45.3 million.
Ocean Casino Resort showed particularly strong growth, jumping 19.5% to $36.6 million, while Caesars Atlantic City posted the most dramatic gains with a 31.9% increase to $19.3 million. The only property to see a decline was Golden Nugget, which dipped 3.0% to $10.7 million.
Other notable performers included Harrah's Atlantic City at $16.5 million, Tropicana Casino & Resort at $16.0 million, Resorts Casino Hotel at $13.2 million, and Bally's Atlantic City at $10.9 million.
Building Momentum for Peak Season
April marked the strongest monthly comparison yet for 2026, with the 11.7% year-over-year increase significantly outpacing the gains seen in January (1.6%), February (which actually saw a slight 0.3% decline), and March (2.5%).
The timing of this growth is particularly encouraging for our community. The first four months of the year have historically been the weakest period for Atlantic City casinos, while the next four months typically represent peak season for driving revenue. Starting the year up 3.9% positions our local gaming industry well to potentially surpass the $2.89 billion in revenue recorded in 2025.
The Online Casino Challenge
While our brick-and-mortar casinos are showing strong performance, they continue to face stiff competition from New Jersey's online casino sector. Last year marked a historic shift when iGaming finished with more gaming revenue than Atlantic City casinos for the first time ever, posting $2.91 billion compared to the city's $2.89 billion.
That trend has accelerated in 2026. Through April, NJ online casinos have generated $1.05 billion in revenue compared to Atlantic City's $888.5 million—a gap of more than $157 million. Online casinos have outperformed the retail sector in each of the first four months, with April's online gaming revenue reaching $263.1 million.
However, our local casinos have historically performed best during the summer months. Last year, Atlantic City recorded $284.1 million in July and $311.9 million in August—monthly totals that online casinos have yet to achieve in New Jersey. As we head into the peak tourism season, our community will be watching to see if the city's casinos can close the gap with their digital competitors.
For now, the strong April numbers suggest that Atlantic City's gaming industry is well-positioned to capitalize on the busy months ahead, bringing jobs, tax revenue, and economic activity to our community.
