Atlantic City has been one of the main hubs for casino properties and resorts ever since the late 1970s when gambling was officially legalized.
While the hotels did pull in a large portion of the profits, the gambling scene has also been a major benefactor of the economy. These two elements work hand in hand for the sake of improving the quality of any guest’s stay in Monopoly City.
While there are a lot of hotels to choose from, there are only nine Atlantic City casinos open here. Caesars Entertainment owns three of them as of 2023, and they are the following:
Before 2020 Caesars also owned Bally’s but they sold that property off soon after. Alternatively, MGM Resorts owns the best-selling casino-hotel in AC, Borgata. On the other hand, Landry’s Inc. owns Golden Nugget now. Resorts is independently owned.
As of 2018, two casinos also opened their doors here in Atlantic City:
In this section, we will briefly go over all nine of the biggest casinos in Atlantic City. We will also mention an extra casino that we believe serves as one of the nicest casinos in Atlantic City as of 2023.
Bally’s is located on the Boardwalk. Its main draw is the fact that it offers more than 100 table games and a very exquisite poker room. It is especially popular amongst those who don’t want to spend too much money on their rooms alone.
The process of withdrawing and depositing money is very fast and secure, and it offers a lot of different seasonal promos. If you want to find out more about it, we have prepared for you an in-depth Bally Online Casino NJ review.
Borgata is located in the Marina District, where it serves as the flagship of Atlantic City. MGM Resorts owns it, and it is one of the best places to gamble in Atlantic City. Borgata’s luxury resort alone features more than a dozen world-class level restaurants for you to visit.
At the same time, you also get access to a giant poker room as well as a sports and race book. Additionally, the limits here at Borgata are more than fair enough, with most table minimums ranging between $5 and $10. Blackjacks pay 3-2, although the games with a minimum bet of $25 usually stand on all 17s.
The Borgata Casino App is also worth mentioning here as it features a wide selection of Online Slots, table games, and Live Dealer experiences. On top of that, you also get access to the Borgata Loyalty Program, where you can win rewards that you can use at the physical location too.
Caesars is also located on the Boardwalk. As its name implies, Caesars Entertainment owns it. It is famous for its low prices yet exquisite taste. It features well over 100 table games, over a dozen restaurants, two showrooms, and more.
Alternatively, if you’ve depleted your funds, you can always just go next door to the Wild Wild West instead. Here you will find a lot more low-limit games as well as the largest sportsbook in AC at 15,228 square feet.
Golden Nugget is a boutique hotel that can be found in the Marina District. During your stay here you will have access to several Landry’s restaurants on-site. At the same time, you will be happy to hear that the blackjacks pay 3-2 at the Golden Nugget Casino. It makes for the perfect Atlantic City gambling hub, while also having some of the comfiest rooms in the state.
These rooms are modern-themed, although they can also be a bit on the pricier end. However, if you want to sleep at one of the best AC casino hotels, Golden Nugget is well worth the investment.
Hard Rock first launched back in 2018, and right off the bat, it attracted a lot of attention thanks to its uncanny resemblance to the Trump Taj Mahal Casino. Ever since its launch, it’s been awarded the title of the best casino in Atlantic City 2023 by most visitors, and who can say otherwise?
With over 120 table games and a wide variety of entertainment options and restaurants, Hard Rock may very well be one of the best AC casinos around.
Harrah’s is considered by many to be the best place to gamble in Atlantic City, and for good reason too. This is the flagship casino for Caesars Entertainment and one of the biggest casinos in Atlantic City. It features well over 100 table games including competitive video poker.
At the same time, Harrah’s can be found in the Marina District, where you can also enjoy your time in the after-hours pool that all guests have access to.
Ocean Casino may not sound familiar to everyone, but that’s because it wasn’t always known under that name. Before, it was referred to as the Revel Hotel & Casino, before it was repurposed and rebranded in 2018.
As soon as Luxor Capital took over in 2019, Ocean Casino opened its doors, revealing what many consider to be the best casino in Atlantic City NJ 2023.
Firstly, this is one of the most luxurious casinos in the world right now, on top of also being one of the biggest casinos in Atlantic City. All the restaurants and shops here are high-end properties that you will not find anywhere else.
Secondly, it is located on the opposite end of the Boardwalk from Tropicana, another high-end casino. This combination makes Ocean Casino one of the most illustrious Atlantic City casinos available.
Lastly, the Ocean Online Casino App is one of the best in the world right now. If you want to get your hands on some incredible deals, you can’t go wrong with it.
Resorts is the first casino in Atlantic City, and still to this day it is considered to be one of its best. It was officially launched back in 1978 as a result of the Gambling Law being passed in New Jersey.
It is one of the smallest Atlantic City casinos, but that’s not to say that it’s not well worth checking out. Resorts is the perfect option for those looking for low-limit table games. Here you will find that all Blackjack games stand on all 17s, and on top of that they also all pay 3-2.
Tropicana concludes our list of the nine best AC casino hotels available. When it comes to its style, while it may not be the oldest casino here, it does have a very old-school feel to it. It can be found on the far south end of the Boardwalk, in close vicinity to a lot of other amazing casinos.
Here you will find that all blackjack tables stand on all 17s and they pay 3-2. An interesting fact about Tropicana is that its casino floor is separated into different sections depending on your desired game. So, on one end you will find a section full of slot machines while on the other you will come across only video poker tables.
While it is not referred to as one of the top nine casinos in AC, Wild Wild West still deserves recognition for what it has to offer. It is one of the best lower-level casinos that Caesars owns. On top of that, it makes for a great beginner-friendly casino to go to thanks to its low-limit bet options. You can play live table games for $5 only, or you can find electronic ones with even lower limits.
By far the largest casino in Atlantic City is the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. When it comes to casino size alone, it spans over 161,000 square feet in total, making it one of the largest casinos in the world. Due to its large size and luxurious amenities though, it is also one of the most expensive Atlantic City casinos available.
When it comes to price alone, the only other casino that comes close to it is Harrah’s. However, you can find cheaper buffet and fine dining options at Harrah’s than you will ever find at Borgata.
It also serves as one of the most historically rich AC casinos, since it was the first sportsbook to open here. At the same time, with well over 180 table games and free drinks at all times, it’s no wonder that this is known as one of if not the best place to gamble in Atlantic City.
Gambling in Atlantic City will always be fun on account of there being so many different games to choose from. Every one of the AC casinos has its own list of unique table games and casino video poker variations that you can take advantage of.
Since all nine of these casinos come with their own NJ online casino apps, you can also find these games there while you’re on the run.
Here is a list of the most popular AC slots for instance:
| Casino Names | Slot Machines | Table Games | Table Poker Rooms | Online Casino Portal | Retail Sportsbook | Guest Rooms |
| Bally’s Atlantic City | 1,480 | 93 | – | No | FanDuel Sportsbook | 1,214 |
| Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa | 2,856 | 189 | 68 | Yes | BetMGM Sports | 2,767 |
| Caesars Atlantic City | 2,125 | 153 | – | Yes | Caesars Sportsbook | 1,141 |
| Golden Nugget Atlantic City | 1,216 | 72 | 9 | Yes | The Sportsbook | 717 |
| Hard Rock Atlantic City | 2,189 | 154 | – | Yes | Hard Rock Sportsbook | 1,971 |
| Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City | 2,036 | 120 | 37 | Yes | Caesars Sportsbook | 2,590 |
| Ocean Casino Resort | 1,742 | 104 | – | Yes | Caesars Sportsbook | 1,399 |
| Resorts Atlantic City | 1,375 | 73 | – | Yes | DraftKings Sportsbook | 942 |
| Tropicana Casino & Resort | 2,355 | 102 | 18 | Yes | Caesars Sportsbook | 2,364 |
Sports betting in the state of New Jersey has been legalized since January 2012. This took place after the voters passed a non-binding referendum which changed the gambling landscape of New Jersey for good. The only people against it were the major sports leagues, as they believed it to be unethical to allow gambling to continue.
So, through the use of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), these major sports leagues tried to ban sports betting. They managed to achieve this goal in Delaware in 2009, forcing them to only offer parlay cards.
The sports leagues tried to force the same outcome on New Jersey, but it was to no avail. By May 14th, 2018, the US Supreme Court stated that the PASPA was unconstitutional. As such, the sports betting leagues lost all of the power they had here.
Thus, the floodgates were now wide open, and before long the people of New Jersey had access to more AC casinos and NJ online platforms than ever before. The NJ Gambling Law made it so that all Atlantic City casinos could coexist without the fear of being banned.
Nowadays, a total of eight Atlantic City casinos have retail sportsbooks available, much to the dismay of the sports leagues.
In this section, we will briefly go over some of the most popular Atlantic City casinos that are no longer available to the masses.
This was Atlantic City’s original Golden Nugget Casino. Back in 1980, when it first opened its doors, it was known as the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino. It may have been the smallest Atlantic City casino, but it also ushered in a lot more money than its competitors at the time.
Steve Wynn, the original owner of the Golden Nugget, sold the casino off to Bally Manufacturing back in 1987 for $440 million. After the transaction went through, the casino was also renamed Bally’s Grand Hotel and Casino.
By 1998 however, Bally’s was bought by Hilton Hotels Corporation and renamed the Atlantic City Hilton back in 1998. By 2005, Resorts International took over and it renamed the establishment the Atlantic City Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City.
In 2011 the Hilton name was dropped altogether, with only ACH Casino Resort remaining. By the end of the year though, things were going to change drastically as PokerStars started to make moves on the property.
After a series of failed negotiations, the casino shut down officially on January 13, 2014. That’s when Caesars Entertainment officially bought it while Tropicana bought its gaming equipment. Even this endeavor failed though as Caesars Entertainment sold to TJM Properties that same year.
TJM stated that another company would be in charge of turning the place into an indoor waterpark in the near future. But again, even this project failed to see the light of day. Colosseo Atlantic City Inc. has stated that it would want to work on the property before launching it. So far though, there hasn’t been any news regarding its reopening or anything of that sort.
The Showboat Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center opened its doors back in March 1987. It featured a total of 60,000 square feet of casino space as well as a 60-lane bowling alley. By 1995, the place was fully renovated in the Mardi Gras theme, only for it to be sold off to Harrah’s Entertainment three years later.
The bowling alley had been transformed into a buffet by 2001, with Showboat planning to build a new tower and remodel the original altogether. By 2014 though, it was too late for them to make any more changes, as the company was forced to close down by Caesars Entertainment. While they tried to find a buyer, they failed and before long the Showboat shut its doors for good as of Aug. 31, 2014.
The property was later bought by Richard Stockton College, who planned to turn it into a college campus. But even these plans failed to come to fruition as it was sold off to Bart Blatstein. He stated in a press release that it would be turned into a non-gaming hotel sometime in the near future. He also stated that he plans to add an indoor water park, although nothing is set in stone just yet.
Back in 1984, history was made as the $210 million Harrah’s at Trump Plaza opened up as the biggest Atlantic City Casino of all time. It was co-owned by Donald Trump and Holiday Inn’s gaming division Harrah’s. It had a total of 614 rooms, seven restaurants, a 750-seat showroom, and a 60,000-square-foot casino.
Its main competitor, Hilton, had its casino license revoked soon after, which resulted in Trump purchasing it, finishing construction, and opening it. It was officially renamed the Trump Castle, but soon after Harrah’s sued Trump for this choice. Seeing this, Trump would then buy Harrah’s interest in Harrah’s and before long he renamed the property Trump Plaza.
For the next couple of years, Trump would buy more casinos and construction projects. At one point though he greenlit the opening of the Trump Taj Mahal. This property eclipsed the Trump Plaza, halving its profits altogether.
Before long the Trump Plaza filed for bankruptcy and by 2011, Trump announced that he would sell it. However, because he did not find any suitable buyer, the Trump Plaza was forced to shut down in 2014. The entire property was officially demolished in 2021.
By far the best casino in Atlantic City for slots is Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. It features a total of 2,856 slot machines, making it the largest casino in Atlantic City for slot lovers. Diversity-wise, Borgata has options for every type of player out there. Here are just a few of the games they have to offer:
Atlantic City’s casino revenue has had a lot of ups and downs as of late, and for good reason too. While traditional on-site gambling has been losing its footing as of late, the same can’t be said about online casinos. Online gambling has been on the rise for the past couple of years now, as more and more people are playing casino games than ever before.
This is why Atlantic City Casinos July revenue saw a modest 3% decline from last year. At the same time, here is a graph depicting the Atlantic City online casinos revenue in 2023:
| Licensee | Total Revenue | Slots & Tables | Poker | Taxes |
| Bally’s Atlantic City | $81,370,284 | $81,370,284 | $ – | $12,208,411 |
| Borgata | $1,689,170,171 | $1,597,532,663 | $90,680,133 | $254,135,873 |
| Caesars Atlantic City | $624,531,423 | $522,960,998 | $101,668,459 | $93,438,448 |
| Golden Nugget Atlantic City | $1,818,193,569 | $1,817,614,439 | $124 | $272,802,040 |
| Hard Rock Atlantic City | $259,409,747 | $259,409,747 | $ – | $38,846,229 |
| Ocean | $89,831,063 | $89,344,167 | $ – | $13,479,928 |
| Resorts Atlantic City | $1,359,831,425 | $1,289,929,572 | $68,348,389 | $203,578,710 |
| Tropicana Atlantic City | $509,024,925 | $509,024,925 | $ – | $76,384,120 |
| Trump Taj Mahal | $6,032,943 | $5,470,434 | $562,509 | $916,330 |
| Total | $6,432,854,392 | $6,173,915,974 | $260,515,357 | $950,851,919 |
As you can see, these numbers are anything but small, with online casinos officially becoming one of the main driving forces of the NJ gambling scene.
New Jersey voters were the ones who fought to amend the State Constitution back in 1976. They wanted to allow casino-style gambling here, and through their trials and tribulations, they did it. New Jersey officially became the second state to legalize casinos, after Nevada of course. However, they were forced to transform Atlantic City into a gaming hub, since they were not allowed to have casinos anywhere else. Resorts International was the first of many to open its casino in AC. As of today, there are a total of nine hotel-casinos that can be found here.
Borgata is the biggest winner when it comes to casino revenue, but even so, no other casino has been built in AC since its construction in 2003. Revel tried its luck in March 2012, but it quickly fell into bankruptcy within a year after its launch. Its downfall is attributed to it treating itself as a resort first and a casino second.
AC casinos have also lost a lot of money in recent years due to their neighboring states featuring legalized casinos. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun for example started to pull in a lot of numbers in NYC since 1992.
Online gambling has been legalized since Feb. 26, 2013, by former Gov. Chris Christie. He was the one who officially legalized NJ Online Poker and online casinos in the state. He made it possible for anyone located in New Jersey who abides by the age limit to play interactive real-money games.
Alternatively, back in March 2011, he stated that it would take a change to the New Jersey Constitution to allow gambling outside of AC. However, he changed his mind in 2013 when he opted for a conditional bill instead. He then raised the tax rate from 10 percent to 15 percent.
According to the Casino Control Act (N.J.S.A. 5:12-119), gambling is prohibited for anyone under the age of 21. If caught playing at any Atlantic City casino or simulcast facility, these individuals will be convicted of underage gambling. This is a criminal charge that is permanently added to your criminal record. At the same time, if you want to participate in online gambling you will need to be physically located in New Jersey.
No matter which of these Atlantic City casinos you decide to go for, you will still need to make sure that you play responsibly. Additionally, if you do not practice responsible gambling, your mental, physical, and financial health will suffer tremendously. So, do not take this for granted and contact one of the following institutions if you or anyone you know suffers from a gambling addiction:
Atlantic City has something for everyone. Regardless of whether you are there for the AC casino hotels or if you’re looking for the best gambling hub around, Atlantic City has you covered.
With that said, the future is looking brighter than ever for the Atlantic City casinos. After all, we did mention the steady increase in revenue for the online gambling industry. So, even though New Jersey no longer qualifies as the second-best gambling hub in the US, it’s not going anywhere either. It will continue to be one of the best places to gamble in the US, and this will not change for a very long period.
Borgata is the most profitable casino in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City is known for gambling because it was the only place in New Jersey in which casinos were legalized.
The gambling age in Atlantic City is 21.
There are 9 casinos in Atlantic City.
Casinos were legalized in Atlantic City on May 26th, 1978.
Resorts was the first casino hotel in Atlantic City. It opened its doors on May 26th, 1978.
Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa is the largest Atlantic City casino, with it totaling over 161,000 square feet in casino space.
