Atlantic City has spent decades defining gambling in New Jersey. That is becoming a harder claim to make now that the state’s online casinos are getting surprisingly close to matching the revenue generated by the nine properties on the Boardwalk.
The gap is still there, but the direction of travel is hard to miss. Online gaming continues to post stronger growth, while physical casino revenue has been much flatter and August brought another decline for Atlantic City’s casino hotels.
The state’s overall gambling market remains in positive territory for the year, although August itself was weaker. Much of that longer-term growth is now being driven by the digital side of the business.
New Jersey’s internet gaming win reached $259.3 million in August, a 4.4% increase from the same month last year. That was below July’s record $276.9 million, but it still marked the 11th consecutive month in which online casino revenue topped $250 million. Through the first eight months of 2026, internet gaming had generated $2.13 billion, up 13.2% year over year.
Atlantic City’s nine casino hotels brought in $294.9 million during August, down 5.5% from a year earlier. Their year-to-date casino win stood at $2.01 billion, representing growth of just 1.8%.
The contrast becomes even clearer when taxes enter the picture. Online gaming generated $57.7 million in taxes during August and $473.4 million through the first eight months of the year.
FanDuel Casino remains at the top of the New Jersey market, generating $56.7 million in August, although that was slightly below last year’s figure. DraftKings followed at $43.5 million, down 7.5%, while BetMGM moved to $35.1 million after growing 7.8%.
The more interesting movement came from some of the operators further down the list. Fanatics increased its August revenue by 30.7% to $13.1 million and has more than doubled its year-to-date revenue to $106.4 million.
Golden Nugget also had a strong month at $11.3 million, up 28.8%, while BetRivers reached $10.7 million after growing 28.1%. Bet365 and Resorts Casino posted even bigger percentage gains, rising 46.6% and 47.6% respectively.
Sports wagering did little to improve the monthly picture, generating $61.4 million in August, down 25% from a year earlier. The Division of Gaming Enforcement attributed part of the decline to the later start of the fall sports calendar, including college football, alongside a lower overall win percentage. Sports betting revenue was also down 5.3% year to date at $671.4 million.
Total gaming revenue consequently fell 4.1% in August to $615.7 million. Through August, however, the market had generated $4.81 billion, up 5.4% year over year. That leaves online casino gaming as one of the clearest growth stories in the state’s gambling market. Atlantic City still generates more casino revenue each month, but the gap is no longer especially large, and digital gaming is growing much faster.
Richard is our eyes and ears in the casino industry. He’s constantly traveling on the go to make sure he doesn’t miss a beat from the very heart of the gambling industry, visiting events all around the USA. His writing expertise and love of everything iGaming, along with his own contacts in the industry allows for compelling and accurate stories. Richard brings our readers all the latest developments from the casino floor with added value.
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