Atlantic City casinos are off to a slow start as online gambling rises

New Jersey’s gambling industry has had a mixed start in 2025. While online casinos are gaining popularity and momentum, retail casinos are facing challenges. The revenues in each city are different, but Atlantic City remains the focal point. For Atlantic City, it’s normal that the revenues from retail casinos see drops at the start of the year and online gambling surpasses their revenue.

Online casinos surpass retail casino revenue

Online casinos are getting more popular every year. When it’s winter, Atlantic City gets fewer visitors, and online gambling revenue usually surpasses retail casino revenue. Now with technology and innovations developing every day, there are multiple new casinos offering wider game collections and unique payment methods. For example, the best crypto casinos offer cryptocurrencies as payment methods, which makes near-instant withdrawals possible.

 

Now, for the second month in a row, online casinos have generated more revenue than retail casinos. Their revenue has had a year-over-year increase, and analysts think that it will grow even more in the coming months. Industry experts think that weather conditions and the developing accessibility of online casinos are the reasons for this shift.

Retail casinos struggle amid seasonal slowdowns

As said, the beginning of this year is normally challenging for Atlantic City casinos, and 2025 has not been an exception. According to statistics from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the total gaming revenue for the whole state in February was $484.8 million, which was a 5.1% increase compared to last year’s February. Atlantic City’s part in this revenue in February was $210.2 million.

A faculty director at Stockton University’s LIGHT institute Jane Bokunewicz stated that winter weather was probably the reason for the lower traffic in the city. She also said that she remains optimistic since the weather will get better in the upcoming months, which gives the casinos a chance to regain the lost revenue. Historically, summer has always been the peak season for Atlantic City, since it brings in tourists, which boosts revenue.

Super Bowl hype did not boost Atlantic City’s casino revenue

Casinos thought that the Super Bowl would bring customers, since the Philadelphia Eagles participated in it, but the results were nothing like expected. The game ended in a loss for the Eagles with a score of 38-35, and the retail casinos did not see any significant boost in betting revenue during it. The casino revenue figures were only slightly better compared to the previous year.

This unexpectedly bad performance during the Super Bowl has raised many questions and concerns related to the city’s casino industry. While the whole gambling industry in New Jersey has been showing some growth, Atlantic City has been continuing to struggle during the colder months. Could there be some solutions invented to solve this problem in the future?

Will there be a promising summer for retail casinos?

The slow start of the year was devastating, but analysts have estimated that the casinos’ revenues will see increases since the summer is approaching. Since these kinds of drops at the start of the year are nothing new, the industry in Atlantic City is not in crisis. This can even mean that summer will be exceptional.

Since the summer is coming and there are many major events planned for it, casinos are hoping to see an increase in revenue to end the year on a positive note. We still can’t forget online gambling, which will remain a tough competitor.

Conclusion

New Jersey’s casino industry continues to evolve, and Atlantic City’s casino industry faces some challenges with revenue, especially during the colder months. The beginning of 2025 has demonstrated a shift, where retail casinos are struggling to keep up while online gambling is gaining momentum. However, with summer on the horizon, Atlantic City’s retail casinos have an opportunity to reclaim their momentum and reaffirm their place in the industry.