Though it's going to soon lose another brick-and-mortar casino, the Atlantic City casino industry grew during the first six months of 2016.

According to figures released Monday from state gaming regulators, the industry reported total revenue of $1.68 billion from January to June, up 1.6 percent in comparison to the similar period last year. Total industry revenue fell 11.8 percent within the first half 2015 in comparison to the $1.88 billion from the similar period in 2014.

Gaming revenue of $1.2 billion this year was 2.2-percent better than a year ago, while revenue from rooms increased 1.4 percent to $193.6 million. Food and drinks sales fell a percent to $210.4 million, and the entertainment and “other” category saw revenue fall 0.7 percent to $70.4 million.

Casino win as a percentage of total revenue was 71 percent throughout the first six months of 2016. For comparison, gaming win in Nevada as a percentage of total revenue is simply over 40 percent these days, that's an rock bottom. Las Vegas is becoming increasingly diversified.

Atlantic City is more excited by hanging on.

Gross operating profit for the Atlantic City brick-and-mortar and online casinos throughout the first six months of 2016 grew 21.3 percent year-over-year to $258.8 million. Borgata had $106.1 million of that profit, which was a 26.7-percent increase year-over-year. That casino also continues to have the most important share of the web gaming market.

The occupancy rate within the city’s casino hotels for the six months ended June 2016 was 78.9 percent, which was 0.4 percentage points higher than the similar period last year.

Revel, the costliest casino in Atlantic City’s history, was planning on reopening a few of its hotel rooms in June, but, way to red tape from the state and native government, that have been delayed. The landlord of the casino is threatening to stroll clear of the project.

When the Trump Taj Mahal closes in October, will probably be the primary casino to shutter since 2014, a year through which four of the city’s then 12 brick-and-mortar casinos closed.

Shortly after New Jersey lost an another legal challenge to federal law banning it from allowing sports books in Atlantic City casinos, Gov. Chris Christie said that he's going to campaign for casinos in north Jersey. The problem is at the November ballot. If the referendum is successful, Atlantic City will lose its decades-long casino monopoly within the Garden State.

The governor was using support for the brand new casinos as leverage in his efforts to get his version of an Atlantic City bailout passed. Town was ultimately given more time to deal with its finances and avoid bankruptcy. Its fate remains uncertain if it loses its casino monopoly to a space much in the direction of Ny city. New casinos also are being inbuilt the Empire State.

Atlantic City gaming revenue has taken a major hit over the last decade way to casinos opening up in nearby states, especially Pennsylvania. A handful of years ago, the Keystone State leapfrogged New Jersey because the second largest non-tribal casino gambling market within the country behind Nevada. Silver State gaming win is ready double the combined gaming win in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The silver lining for brand new Jersey is the state’s rapidly growing online gambling market, which has greater than 90 percent of the entire U.S. market. Licensed online casinos within the state of recent Jersey won and raked $17.4 million from gamblers during July, a rise of 38.6 percent in comparison to July 2015. It was also a record month for the state’s online gambling industry.

New Jersey and the uk are in talks to implement a shared liquidity system for online poker. The arrangement could expose New Jersey poker players to an extra two million online gamblers out of a rustic of greater than 64 million people.

Read More... [Source: CardPlayer Poker News]