The basics:

• Total gaming revenue rose 0.7% year over year to $585.6M
• Internet gaming revenue jumped 17.5% to $271M
• Atlantic City casino win fell 0.7% to $257.3 million
• Sports wagering revenue dropped 37.7% despite a higher betting handle

New Jersey’s gaming industry continued its strong performance in June. Total gaming revenue increased year over year as internet gaming remained the primary driver of growth and helped push first-half results to record milestones.

According to figures released July 16 by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, total gaming revenue for casinos, racetracks and their partners reached $585.6 million in June 2026, up 0.7% from $581.6 million reported in June 2025.

Internet gaming continued to lead the market, generating $271 million in revenue during June, up 17.5% from $230.7 million in June 2025. Year-to-date internet gaming revenue reached $1.59 billion through June, an increase of 15% compared with the same period last year.

Atlantic City’s nine casino hotels reported $257.3 million in casino win for June, down 0.7% from $259 million in June 2025. Year-to-date casino win totaled $1.41 billion through June, up 2.3% from the prior year.

Sports slump

Despite the slight year-over-year decline, the June casino win figure represented the second-best June performance in 14 years.

Sports wagering was the only major gaming segment to post a significant decline during the month.

Sports wagering revenue for casinos, racetracks and their partners totaled $57.3 million in June, down 37.7% from $91.9 million in June 2025. The decline came despite increased betting activity, with the total sports wagering handle reaching $917.2 million in June, up 16% year over year.

The Division of Gaming Enforcement said the decrease in revenue primarily reflected patron winnings associated with the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup games.

Top casinos

Through the first six months of 2026, total gaming revenue reached $3.52 billion, up 6% from $3.32 billion during the same period last year. Internet gaming revenue totaled $1.59 billion, up 15%, while sports wagering revenue totaled $513 million, down 7.1%.

Total gross gaming taxes generated $91.7 million in June, and $564.4 million through June 2026.

The top-performing Atlantic City operators by casino win in June were:

• Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – $72.2 million down 5.9%
• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City – $46.2 million up 0.9%
• Ocean Casino Resort – $43.5 million down 0.2%

By comparison

Brian Tyrrell, faculty director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism (LIGHT) at Stockton University, said June’s results reflected continued momentum for New Jersey’s gaming market, despite comparisons with several unusually strong recent months.

“In terms of gross gaming revenues, June 2026 was a strong month that only suffered in comparison to other recently stronger months,” said Tyrrell.

“Despite declining 5% from a near-record, single-month high in May 2026, total GGR [gross gaming revenue] for Atlantic City’s casino operators was up year over year in June 2026 and for the year-to-date – showing a trend that should put operators ahead of 2025 by year-end,” he added. “Total brick and mortar gaming revenues for June 2026 was down less than 1% year over year but still up slightly (2.3%) for the year-to-date.”

In terms of gross gaming revenues, June 2026 was a strong month that only suffered in comparison to other recently stronger months.
– Brian Tyrrell, faculty director, LIGHT at Stockton University

Tyrrell noted that internet gaming remained the primary contributor to overall growth.

“It was the best June in recent history for total GGR with internet gaming remaining the main contributor – not a new record but close. The one disappointment was the month’s sports wagering revenue, which declined significantly year over year and month to month. Deceptively, this was not due to a decline in handle, but rather a decline in win percentage – in other words patrons were luckier than the bookmakers.”

Local team wagers

Tyrrell said the sports wagering results may have been influenced by strong performances from popular teams.

“While hard to say definitively based on publicly available data, this result was perhaps due to wagering on local favorites the New York Knicks who turned in an unexpected performance completing a successful NBA championship campaign in the first half of June. A similar phenomenon was observed when the Philadelphia Eagles successfully completed their own NFL championship run in early 2025.”

Tyrrell cautioned that continued growth in gross gaming revenue does not necessarily mean operators will see the same level of growth in profits.

“While gross gaming revenues are generally trending upward, this is not an assurance that net revenues and gross operating profits will follow the same trend. As operators continue to respond to market pressures (inflation, competition, wage increases etc.), as well as changes in tax rates, less of their gross gaming revenues are making it to the profit line. With the release of second quarter net gaming revenue numbers (on Aug. 24, 2026), we will have more information to assess these impacts and trends – particularly with respect to tax rates.”

A winning pace

New Jersey Casino Control Commission Chairman James Plousis highlighted the continued growth of online gaming and the strength of Atlantic City’s casino market during the first half of 2026.

“New Jersey’s internet gaming win continued to show growth potential in June – it achieved the fourth-highest monthly result on record, eclipsed in-person casino win for 10 consecutive months, and surpassed $1.5 billion sooner this year compared to all prior years.”

Plousis also pointed to the pace of growth for Atlantic City’s brick-and-mortar casino market.

“Atlantic City’s in-person casino win recorded its second-best June result in fourteen years, having declined slightly in comparison to last June’s strong results,” he said. “Through the first half of 2026, casino win eclipsed $1.4 billion faster than any year since 2012 and, with the help of statewide online gaming and sports wagering, total gaming revenue reached $3.5 billion sooner than any other year.”