Published on: May 18, 2026, 07:59h.
Updated on: May 18, 2026, 07:59h.
- April saw a 12% increase in gaming revenue for Atlantic City casinos
- Every casino except Golden Nugget reported increased GGR
- Golden Nugget may be affected by a potential Caesars acquisition by Tilman Fertitta
Atlantic City’s casinos achieved gross gaming revenue (GGR) of approximately $235.6 million from visitors in April, indicating a 12% rise compared to April 2025.
Atlantic City faces challenges ahead with three new large-scale casino resorts opening in New York City. These multibillion-dollar establishments—Resorts World New York City by JFK Airport, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park at Citi Field, and Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point—are expected to affect the nine casinos in New Jersey.
Nonetheless, the current business climate is the most favorable in years. According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, casinos garnered $169.4 million from slot machines and $66.2 million from table games last month, marking the city’s best April results since 2012.
All casino hotels reported increases in either slot machine or table game revenue, with five operators seeing gains across both categories. So far this year, casino win is on track for its best outcome in 14 years, thanks to double-digit growth in table games and a slight rise in slot machines,” noted James Plousis, Chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.
As of April 2026, gross gaming revenue from in-person visitors has risen 4%, totaling $888.5 million, with table game revenues increasing over 10% as highlighted by Plousis.
iGaming Surpassing Retail Revenue
Retail operations in Atlantic City are flourishing as New Jersey’s iGaming landscape continues to expand.
Online casino revenues surged by 12% in April to reach $263.1 million. This marks the eighth consecutive month where iGaming outperformed physical casino revenues and the third-best month on record since New Jersey’s online casino market began in 2013.
For the first four months of the year, total GGR from iGaming has exceeded $1 billion, marking the first instance where this revenue benchmark was achieved within just four months.
Sportsbooks also experienced significant gains in April, retaining $102.1 million in bets, a 13% increase year-over-year.
As of April, total sports betting revenue stands at $370.5 million, reflecting a 4% increase compared to the same period last year.
Across the industry, GGR for the first four months has reached $2.3 billion, marking a 9% increase.
Potential Sale of Golden Nugget
Billionaire Tilman Fertitta is reportedly pursuing the acquisition of Caesars Entertainment. If successful, it’s likely that one of the Atlantic City casinos resulting from the merger will be put up for sale, potentially due to market overlap or monopoly regulations raised by the DGE.
Recently, JPMorgan gaming analyst Daniel Politzer suggested that Golden Nugget, which Fertitta owns, could be the leading candidate for closure or sale.
In April, Golden Nugget was the sole casino among nine to report a decline in in-person GGR, with its retail GGR down 6% to $40.9 million, placing it in eighth position, just ahead of Bally’s.
While Golden Nugget performs well online, partnering with FanDuel and BetRivers, these affiliations could potentially merge with one of Caesars’ existing Atlantic City properties, such as Caesars, Harrah’s, or Tropicana. Caesars manages its online casino and sportsbook operations under the name Caesars Interactive Entertainment New Jersey (CIENJ).