AC IN-PERSON GAMBLING REVS THROUGH THE ROOF: 43% HIGHER THAN 2021
By James Hammer
The Associiated Press is reporting that Atlantic City’s in-person casino revenue in February was 43% higher than it was a year ago, and just below the level of February 2020, right before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Figures released Wednesday by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement show the nine casinos won $212.4 million from in-person gamblers in February. That’s about 3% less than their winnings in February 2020.
The amount of money won from gamblers who actually travel to Atlantic City’s casinos is a closely watched metric these days as the industry is in the third year of the pandemic, particularly with limits on occupancy lifted and mask mandates ended.
“Popular holiday weekends such as Presidents’ Day and Valentine’s Day, and waning public concern for public health threats related to COVID-19 may have given a boost to brick-and-mortar gaming figures,” said Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University, which studies the Atlantic City casino industry. “Further relaxation of pandemic-related precautions nationwide gives us hope that spring 2022 will return operators to a pre-pandemic operating environment.”
