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Atlantic City's casino industry is riding high, with three of its gaming halls landing among the highest-grossing casinos in the United States last year.
According to CDC Gaming Reports, the American Gaming Association (AGA) revealed Thursday (February 26) that Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa climbed to the third spot among the top-performing commercial casinos in the country outside Nevada, Colorado, and Mississippi — posting nearly 8% annual revenue growth to leapfrog Encore Boston Harbor in Massachusetts.
Joining Borgata in the national rankings were two other Atlantic City properties: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City and Ocean Casino Resort. Carly Johnson, the AGA's director of research, confirmed all three New Jersey properties ranked among the nation's elite gaming destinations during the group's annual casino revenue presentation.
Ocean Casino Resort recorded 8% growth in 2025, matching Borgata's gains, while Hard Rock Atlantic City saw 1% growth over the prior year.
Resorts World New York City held the top spot among commercial properties outside Nevada for the third straight year, with MGM National Harbor in Maryland finishing second.
The strong showing from Atlantic City comes as the AGA reported that America's commercial casinos pulled in a record $78.72 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2025 — a 9.2% jump over 2024 and the sixth consecutive year of record gaming revenue. All 38 commercial gaming states saw annual revenue increases.
The record-breaking total was driven in large part by surging online channels. Sports betting revenue rose 22.8% year-over-year to $16.96 billion, while iGaming — online casino-style play — reached $10.74 billion, a 27.6% increase. Online gaming now accounts for 34.5% of total commercial gaming revenue, up from 30% in 2024.
In New Jersey, iGaming revenue has already surpassed commercial brick-and-mortar casino revenue for the year, a milestone also reached in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Traditional, land-based casino gaming also had a record year nationally, expanding 2.3% to $50.94 billion. Casino admissions rose 5.3% across five reporting states, and commercial gaming generated $18.09 billion in state gaming taxes — a 15.1% increase — helping fund vital state programs across the country.
Looking ahead, Maine is expected to launch iGaming later in 2026, which would make it the eighth state to offer legal online betting.