Casino Biz Up, Again, In AC Last Month
by KYW's David Madden
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (CBS) -- 2017 is off to a good start at Atlantic City's seven casino operations, according to the latest revenue report from New Jersey gaming officials.
No casino saw a revenue drop compared to January 2016. All told, the seven open facilities took in just under $205 million last month, according to numbers released Tuesday by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.
That's 15% more than last January. Even if you factor in the now shuttered Taj Mahal, the increase is 7.7%.
Granted, there was a major storm last winter, but that makes little difference to Matt Levinson, chair of the Casino Control Commission.
"We do have one less weekend this January. So maybe it offsets it a little bit," Levinson told KYW Newsradio.
Caesar's saw the best January gain with 41% greater take. Internet gaming, which is factored into the overall numbers, surged by almost 29% from a year ago.
Levinson admits things have gotten better in recent months, but he's not ready to say if seven casinos is just right for Atlantic City just yet.
"I don't know," he added. "I think the financial market will predict that, and if they come in and want to put another casino in, then it will happen."
