- Gross operating profit across Atlantic City’s casino licensees dropped 10.1% to $164.9 million in Q2 2026.
- Net revenue rose 0.9% to $844.5 million, so nearly flat sales produced a double-digit profit decline.
- First-half profit is down 15.5% to $269.6 million on revenue of $1.57 billion, up just 0.2%.
- Casino hotel occupancy improved to 73.2% for the quarter, up 0.6 percentage points from a year ago.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Atlantic City casino profits fell 10.1% to $164.9 million in the second quarter of 2026 even as net revenue edged up 0.9% to $844.5 million, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported Monday.
The Gap Between The Top Line And The Bottom Line
The second-quarter results from the Division of Gaming Enforcement, released Aug. 24, show a market that is selling as much as it did a year ago but keeping less of it. Net revenue of $844.5 million was up 0.9%, while gross operating profit fell 10.1% to $164.9 million. For operators in the New Jersey online casino market and for the online gambling sites for USA players built around it alike, the spread means rising costs, not falling demand, are doing the damage.
The quarter is an improvement on the start of the year. Profit through six months is down 15.5% to $269.6 million against first-half revenue of $1.57 billion, up 0.2% – so the first quarter’s slide was steeper than the second’s. The trajectory matters more than the level: two straight quarters of flat revenue and shrinking margins is a cost problem, and cost problems tend to show up next in marketing budgets and player reinvestment before they show up in closures.
Occupancy Up, Profit Down
Hotel occupancy at Atlantic City casino properties reached 73.2% for the quarter ended June 30, up 0.6 percentage points year over year, and 69.0% for the half, up 1.2 points. Full rooms with thinner profit reinforce the same read – visitation is holding, expenses are not.
The DGE cautions that segment comparisons for internet gaming and sports wagering depend on footnoted revenue-recognition differences, so the quarterly figures measure the licensees’ overall operations rather than any one vertical. Properties with the largest digital operations, including Borgata’s online casino arm, report those results within the same licensee totals.
The Division’s third-quarter report will show whether the summer season narrowed the profit gap or extended it to three quarters.