“Even up against strong seasonal and economic headwinds, brick-and-mortar gaming revenues for December 2022 outperformed both December 2021 and December 2019 ($208.55 million) to deliver the strongest December brick-and-mortar revenue returns in 10 years,” said Jane Bokunewicz, faculty director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism (LIGHT), Stockton University School of Business, who analyzed the report.

Total Casino Win for the state's nine properties was $214.5 million, a 3.7% increase versus last November, with Total Gaming Revenue checking in at $441.1 million, a 0.3% increase versus November of last year.

While there remains debate over whether the arrival of casinos has fulfilled its promise, the message at the event hosted by Stockton University's Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, was clear: that the introduction has completely transformed the resort town, and will continue to do so in the future.

Jane Bokunewicz, director of Stockton University's LIGHT, said that while the gross operating profit slipped from 2021, it exceeded 2019, showing that casino operators are continuing to leverage lessons learned during the pandemic to balance expenses with consumer demand.

Anthony Faranca will lead the property while Joe Lupo, who currently runs the location, will move to the brand's forthcoming Las Vegas resort.

Despite challenges facing Atlantic City casinos, the focus locally remains on attracting more visitors while building on spring's momentum with new projects generating buzz.

“Inflation may be beginning to impact in-person gaming revenues," said Jane Bokunewicz, faculty director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism (LIGHT) at Stockton University, noting that brick-and-mortar gross gaming revenue totals, which had been expected to improve over last month, effectively stayed flat at $233 million.

Over the first three months of 2022, the gaming halls generated $719.8 million in net revenue—outperforming 2021, 2020 and even exceeding 2019's $696.6 million by 3.3%.

The preparation starts with the moves and investments that the casinos are undertaking.

While the sports betting industry continued its meteoric rise, with wagers breaking the $1 billion mark for the sixth time, seven of the state's nine gaming halls continued to lag behind their in-person, pre-pandemic revenue levels.

Total casino win for the state’s nine hotel gaming properties was $212.4 million last month, a 43.3% growth compared with the year prior.

According to Joe Lupo, president of Hard Rock Atlantic City and of the Casino Association of New Jersey - the latter of which commissioned the study - said visitation to the seaside resort is already at a 20-year low, while the workforce is half of what it was in 2003.