What do Visitors to Atlantic City’s Casinos Play the Most?
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Atlantic City has long been the jewel in New Jersey’s gaming crown. Dating back to the 19th century, the city has long been an entertainment hub, originally established as a health resort before evolving into the casino mecca that it is today – complete with its iconic Boardwalk.
According to the official website of the City of Atlantic City, the area still attracts 27 million tourists every year, many of which flock here solely for the casino scene, given that there are few districts with a casino “strip” quite like AC in the U.S., aside from the obvious contender, Las Vegas.
According to this article, Visit Atlantic City staged 206 events last year alone. This is part of a continuing effort by the city to diversify its target clientele by acting as a gateway for major meetings and events. In doing so, it generated more than $300m in economic benefit for the city in 2023. However, that’s still a drop in the ocean compared to the revenues turned over by Atlantic City’s well-established casino resorts.
The Most Popular Pastimes at Atlantic City’s Casinos
Atlantic City has many iconic casino resorts which have stood the test of time, including Borgata, Caesars and Tropicana. At the time of writing, Atlantic City’s casino venues have more than 200,000 active slot machines available to play, leaving many spoiled for choice with various slot themes. Slot games appeal to casual and serious gamers alike with their simple dynamics and varied staking structures.
Low-denomination slots are especially popular among low-rollers, since they are more accessible than the average slot and often feature looser-than-average payout rates.
Table games also remain a significant draw in Atlantic City’s casino venues. Their blackjack and roulette tables are consistently busy, while their poker cash games and tournaments continue to entice amateur and professional players every year, especially at Harrah’s and Borgata. The latter's poker room is one of the largest in Atlantic City, featuring 52 tables of cash and tournament games. As a matter of fact, it happens to be one of the largest poker rooms in the U.S., let alone the Northeast.
Bingo has long held a place in the gaming lineup of Atlantic City’s casinos, but its popularity has waned in recent years. The rise of online bingo platforms, which offer live-streamed games and virtual interaction, has enticed many players away from brick-and-mortar bingo halls. According to this online live bingo at Christmas schedule, the weekends prove especially popular for live-streamed events, but there are plenty of daily shows too.
The Atlantic City region has also benefited hugely from the legalization and regulation of sports betting in the Garden State of New Jersey. It’s now common for casino venues to offer integrated retail sportsbooks, combining the interests of casino and sports enthusiasts. Patrons at these sportsbooks are able to watch a host of live sports events, from big-ticket NFL games to high-profile heavyweight boxing bouts – some of which used to be hosted in Atlantic City!
So, while a general trend has emerged in recent years away from physical casinos and onto online gambling sites, which Atlantic City has not entirely managed to evade unscathed, the New Jersey city remains among the most popular hubs in the country for a taste of the sport. If you’d like to see how earnings for casino resorts in Atlantic City have been in recent months, this article published on Yahoo Finance provides a full breakdown of revenue during Q3 2024.