Atlantic City’s eight casinos saw a decline in revenue for the first time in several months, but much of that decline may have come from a trick of the calendar.
The city’s eight casinos won $258.6 million in August, compared with $272.3 in August 2014. It should be noted, however, that in 2014, Labor Day was September 1, meaning the first three days of the busy holiday weekend—which is especially busy at the New Jersey shore—fell in August.
This year Labor Day was September 8.
“Atlantic City’s gaming industry has changed dramatically since this time last year, going from 11 casinos down to eight,” said Matt Levinson, chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in a press statement. “But Atlantic City’s operating casinos had a 2.4 percent increase in gaming revenue this summer compared to last. August was down, but the existing operators still are up approximately 3.2 percent for the first eight months of this year.”
Three casino closed at the end of the summer in 2014—Trump Plaza, Revel, and Showboat. The Atlantic Club casino closed in January,
When the three closed casinos are counted in the August figures, Atlantic City’s winnings of $258.6 million for August 2015 were 15.2 percent lower than the $305 million reported in August 2014, according to the Associated Press.
Revenue from online gaming, however, rose to $12.2 million for the month, up from $10.5 million in August 2014. Revenue from online poker was $1,983,230, down from $2,251,917 in August 2014.
According to the Associated Press, among land-based casinos, Golden Nugget brought in $22.4 million in revenue, up nearly 28 percent from a year ago. Resorts took in $17.5 million, an increase of 18 percent from a year ago.
Caesars showed the biggest decline for the month, down 28.6 percent to $31.3 million. Caesars Interactive, its online division, took in $2.7 million, an increase of 2.2 percent.
The Trump Taj Mahal, which is still embroiled in a bankruptcy proceeding and labor dispute, was down 24.2 percent to $18.9 million, compared with $24.9 million a year ago.
The eight operating casinos have won $1.73 billion, a 3.2 percent increase from the same period in 2014. But when the 12 casinos that operated for all or part of 2014 are included in the comparison, the Atlantic City casino industry is down 10.3 percent for the year to date, the AP reported.
