With New Jersey the mecca of online gambling and home to many of the biggest casinos in America, its sports betting prowess shouldn’t come as a surprise. The American Gaming Association recently released reports that The Garden State closed out 2024 with nearly $14 billion in sports betting.
Of course, many of those billions come from the booming online sports betting scene. Virtual sports bookies like DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars Sportsbook are some of the biggest players in New Jersey’s booming sports betting scene. However, the $14 billion haul is proof that there is still plenty of life left in the Atlantic City Casinos. Towards the late 1990s and throughout the 2010s, Atlantic City casinos took massive hits in their bottom line, including many closing. Even President Trump’s own Atlantic City casinos were part of the closures.
Still, the nearly $14 billion sports betting haul is more than a 20% bump from the 2023 mark. This is significant for the future of Atlantic City casinos, which were severely crippled like other retail casinos from the COVID-19 Pandemic and changes in consumer spending. The bulk of New Jersey’s incredible sports betting totals still come from playing in person.
Besides sports betting, Atlantic City casinos continue to rebound from a spike in casino game revenue. Outside of Las Vegas, Atlantic City remains the biggest American mecca for retail gambling. As New Jersey online casinos continue to thrive with more than 30 operators, including BetMGM and PlayStar, it remains to be seen where the happy medium will ultimately lie.
Critics fear that the continued success of NJ online casinos might ultimately close down the Boardwalk. Another perspective from the fantastic success of New Jersey online casinos continues to inspire their New York neighbors to follow suit. In recent years, New York Senator Joe Addabbo has put forth bills to legalize NY online gambling sites. It remains unclear if the 2025 New York legislation will vote on these measures.
