On Wednesday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement published their monthly report, which shows Atlantic City casinos saw an increase in revenue of over 20 percent for the month of November.

The total November revenue for gambling operators in Atlantic City last year was $206.4 million, and this figure increased to $247.7million for November 2018.

In total, annual gambling revenue in Atlantic City for the same 11-month period is up 6.5 percent in 2018. The city’s casino industry reported a total of $2.6 billion earned for 2018 compared to $2.45 billion in gambling revenue for 2017.

“November was another strong month for the casino industry,” said James Plousis, chairman of the Casino Control Commission. “The stage is set for 2018 to be the third straight year of growth in Atlantic City.”

This a positive sign for Atlantic City casino industry. Despite the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort closing, revenue has increased every year since 2016, growing by 1.5 percent that year and 2.2 percent in 2017.

This is partly due to two new casinos, the Hard Rock Hotel& Casino and Ocean Resort Casino, opening within the city this year, bringing the total to nine for 2018.

The launch of Atlantic City sports betting statewide in June 2018 likely played a pivotal role in revenue growth.

Rummy Pandit, executive director of the Lloyd D. LevensonInstitute of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism at Stockton University, predicted the increase of casino revenue from AtlanticCity but was surprised to see this much growth.

“There are new market segments coming into the city,” Pandit said. “There could be some novelty(related to the new openings and sports betting), but I don’t necessarily believe it will taper off. The market is going to continue to grow because we’re offering a destination resort.”

Since sports betting became legal everywhere in New Jersey back in June, nearly $1 billion in wagers have been placed. In that time, Atlantic City has earned $40.8 million in revenue from compared to the $73.2 million generated at sportsbooks outside of the city and across the state.

Pandit predicts the annual Atlantic City gambling revenue most likely won’t hit the $3 billion amount for 2018 but said the casino industry will “absolute” eclipse that mark next year, giving the city its fourth year of consecutive growth at the end of 2019.

The Hard Rock casino sportsbook has paired with the Malta-based gaming service company Gaming Innovation Group to release the sportsbook at the Atlantic City location. The deal will allow Hard Rock to offer online wagering, in-person sports betting, and self-service terminals.

An agreement was struck between the two parties following the results of Murphy vs. NCAA, a Supreme Court Decision on the issue of state lawmaking. As many people around the world now know, New Jersey won the case, and the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional.

In June of 2018, Governor Murphy signed into law a bill that now allows domestic sports betting. The bill included a stipulation that after 30-days, Atlantic City online sports betting would be available to operate within New Jersey state lines.

None of this would be possible for the Hard Rock casino if not for the National Football League (NFL) changing their policy on commercial gaming. Reports indicate that the Business Ventures Committee made up of 10 NFL franchise owners, agreed to allow casinos to sponsor teams in the league.

Hard Rock International has owned the naming rights to the Miami Dolphins stadium since 2016 when the two conglomerates entered into an 18-year agreement. The deal struck one year before the historic Supreme Court decision could have put an end to sports betting at the Hard Rock for the next 18 years, but luckily the NFL had some sympathy.

However, the NFL threw a curve football when they added that neither entity could use official logos for marketing and that casinos will not be allowed to advertise their sportsbook with the team they sponsor.

Despite the latter, the Hard Rock is happy to see the ban lifted and is looking forward to offering a sports betting experience to their players.

The Hard Rock will not be the first sportsbook on the block to begin domestic operations. Atlantic City residents and visitors can already place bets on sporting events at Ocean Resort, Bally’s, Tropicana, Harrah’s, Borgata, and the Golden Nugget.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported that the sports betting market handled nearly $600 million in transactions during the first 4 months in operation.

Since New Jersey started accepting legal wagers on June 14^th, the state has handled nearly $600 million in bets. This total combines the $300.9 million wagered through online New Jersey sportsbooks and $296.4 million wagered at New Jersey’s physical sportsbook venues.

As of this writing, New Jersey has officially handled $597.3 million wagers since sports betting was legalized in the state and earned $52 million in overall revenue after paying out winning tickets.

New Jersey currently has two racetracks and nine casinos actively providing physical sports wagering options; online sportsbooks are also adding to NJ’s wagering total daily. In fact, numerous gambling entities saw big money in sports gambling and have applied to offer sports gambling.

In Atlantic City, only two casino venues do not provide sports wagering options – Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.

Our speculations assume both casinos will soon offer sports betting due to the lucrative nature of the gambling form, as proven above. However, the Hard Rock Casino will more than likely be the first of the two to offer sports gambling as the venue petitioned the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to allow the Hard Rock to offer sports gambling at its physical venue and online.

If the petition bodes well for the Hard Rock, Caesars will likely follow as to not be left behind in terms of competition and market share.

DraftKings already has a mobile sportsbook application available to New Jersey patrons since August but has decided to launch its own physical sportsbook in New Jersey’s Resorts Casino here in Atlantic City. DraftKings will have its own branded sportsbook area designated within Resorts Casino and is confident it will open its physical sportsbook doors November 20^th.

In October, New Jersey sportsbooks saw wagers placed primarily on football and baseball games. The sportsbooks report this was likely due to the Playoffs and World Series. At least this means seasonal sports events provide lucrative betting revenue for sportsbooks in New Jersey.

The NHL recently announced its partnership with MGM Resorts, who in July approached the NBA and also gained a partnership with said league. Through the NHL’s deal with MGM Resorts, MGM will receive unseen enhanced proprietary game data which will be used to provide game insights, provide increased fan engagement, and betting odds.

This deal is a multi-year partnership which will integrate the NHL sports league with MGM’s domestic and international sports betting offers, as well as, market MGM Resorts’ products and services to NHL fans via NHL events and the league’s official media platforms.

Two years prior during the World Cup of Hockey, the league experimented with a tracking system of placed microphones inside player jersey’s and pucks to track movement during a game in real-time.

The NHL discussed possible ramifications of puck- and player-tracking data. At the time, neither the NHL nor NHLPA thought the technology could be used one day for sports betting but rather contract negotiations.

The deal announcement came from MGM Resorts Chairman and CEO Jim Murren and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who once vehemently resisted sports gambling. MGM Resorts will be the NHL’s first official partner for sports gambling and the move hopes to revive the NHL’s fan base through this progressive approach.

The partnership entails MGM may communicate with NHL fans through their internal database to further market their own destination resorts brand and their M Life Rewards program.

The Resort will also be allowed to promote their products during key NHL events such as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Winter Classic, and the NHL Stadium Series.

However, MGM is not the only beneficiary to the deal despite all of the promotional leeway they have as Nielsen estimates the NHL will receive an additional $216 million in annual revenue through sports betting legalization – the figure stated above does not account for the recent MGM partnership.

The research company also estimated an increase in fan engagement directly tied to sports betting which could lead to roughly $1.64 billion a year through a 4.3% revenue spike in annual media rights.

During the Sunday Broncos vs Raiders NFL game, Newark resident Anthony Prince placed a $110 in-play wager on the Broncos winning one minute before the end of the game at the Meadowlands on 750-1 odds. After the game concluded with the Broncos on top, Prince went to the FanDuel ticket window to retrieve his winnings to which the window clerk refused to honor. The clerk stated his ticket winning of over $82,000 was the cause of an erroneous flaw in the system’s odds calculation and stated his odds should have been 1-6 where his winning would only total $18.35.

Prince disputed his right to the winnings and FanDuel claimed no responsibility to payout such an amount caused by a system glitch. The clerk stated they could not payout the ticket based on FanDuel’s House Rules which accounts for obvious errors and malfunctions and claims no obligation to pay in these cases. FanDuel then continued by offering prince $500 and skybox seat tickets to future New York Giants games, stating he ought to take the offer because they are not obligated to provide Prince with anything else.

A spokesperson for FanDuel during this incident, Kevin Hennessy, says a number of other bettors also placed wagers using the glitch’s odds over an 18-second interval but had their winnings removed as per policy. FanDuel and its spokesmen have declined to reveal how many individual bettors placed wagers using the incorrect odds. However, the company did reveal the other bettors also affected by the glitch wagered on the FanDuel sportsbook app.

Prince, part of the affected party stated to local news outlets he would rather use a corner bookie than FanDuel because at least the bookie would pay. State-regulated sportsbooks are in place to provide the public with a sense of peace and security, offering protection against strong-arm tactics, being hustled by illegal bookies, and wrongful business practices. Director of the New Jersey Gaming Enforcement David Rebuck announced an investigation into the matters concerning FanDuel’s glitch stating they would “look into how it occurred, given internal control exist to prevent such an error”.

Later that week on Thursday, FanDuel released a statement reversing their stance on the glitch issue. The company said they would honor Prince’s ticket winnings of $82,000 and payout the other bettors affected by the system malfunction. In the same tone, FanDuel apologized for the error and promised to give away another $82,000 by depositing $1,000 into 82 random customer accounts over the coming weekend.

FanDuel’s sportsbook went live in new jersey July 14^th at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford. One month after FanDuel began offering sports wagering the company made $3 million. Clearly, payment was not an issue.

FanDuel, one of the largest Daily Fantasy Sports operators, launched a mobile sports betting app and online service over the weekend. These platforms run in conjunction with FanDuel’s brick-and-mortar operation at Meadowlands Racetrack.

FanDuel had an advantage in being owned by the international sports gambling company Paddy Power Betfair. This allowed them to tap into resources that helped develop their product completely in-house, thus justifying their slower speed to market.

The FanDuel mobile platform utilizes the operator’s signature color scheme and physical look while providing a wide host of sports wagering options. Customers will be able to pool their DFS and sports betting funds using the same app.

As far as wagers go, the FanDuel app will feature the standard point spread, money line, and total betting line options. There will also be live betting and prop wagers available.

What sets FanDuel’s app apart from the competition is that the capability to display game casts through the app. This allows players to follow along without actually watching the game.

New Jersey had an advantage in that New York failed to pass their sports betting bill before the legislative window closed. This created a demand for sports betting in the greater NY area—one that neighboring New Jersey could appease if NY residents make the trip over.

Per the regulations in place for NJ mobile wagering, bettors must be of legal age and within state lines in order to successfully place a wager through the mobile app.

This is not the first instance of mobile betting since the Garden State legalized sports betting in the wake of the Murphy v. NCAA decision that led to PASPA’s repeal. FanDuel’s launch marks the fourth installment of a mobile betting network, with DraftKings (another major DFS operator), playMGM and SugarHouse Sportsbook pinning down the first three slots.

William Hill, another sports betting location, launched their mobile app shortly after FanDuel, bringing the total tally to five mobile wagering operators.

The presence of five running mobile sportsbooks creates a healthy competition within the Garden State. This sets up potential for operators adding new features to make their products stand out, which in turn translates to a better user experience.

The fact that FanDuel was able to get their mobile sportsbook up and running in time for football season is a positive sign for their initial revenue yields.

Things are looking up for the New Jersey sports betting market and FanDuel is along for the ride.

Now, Atlantic City is hoping to get in on the action with many casino owners believing online sports betting will not only boost revenue for casinos, but some gaming experts have added it may also contribute to higher visitation to the casinos as well.

Rummy Pandit, the executive director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism at Stockton University believes online sports betting while bringing in revenue for all the casino.

“Sports betting is definitely going to drive additional traffic into the city,” said Pandit. “And online sports betting will not just drive sports betting revenue, it’s going to drive revenue to brick-and-mortars through rooms, food and beverage, entertainment and shows.”

Pandit added betting on sports is typically a social event and predicts most people will want to take part in the complete experience a casino sportsbook can offer.

“The way I see the market segment, it is more brick-and-mortar oriented, at least initially,” said Pandit. “But convenience is going to be the driver online.”

However, not all experts agree on sports betting, online or not, will boost revenue or increase annual visits.

Wayne Schaffel, a public relations consultant, and former Atlantic City casino executive call sports betting a “non-event” and when compared to bets placed in Las Vegas, sports betting has smaller profits percentage-wise.

Schaffel doesn’t think brick-and-mortar or online sports betting will drive traffic to Atlantic City, stating it’s “unlikely due to the fact that every state will soon have sports betting, negating any advantage Atlantic City might have.”

Schaffel added there is one area where the Atlantic City brick-and-mortar and online sportsbooks could look to jump out ahead of the rest of the pack and benefit greatly: eSports.

“Sponsor, sign exclusive deals or just go out and buy something that will have a monopoly in Atlantic City,” said Schaffel. “That’s a winning bet.”

However, experts who agree and those who disagree with the future of online sports betting being beneficial to Atlantic City do believe the casino operators should be in a race to have an online sports betting platform up and operational as soon as possible, since it could be crucial to their long-term success because of the recent regulatory news and potential revenue to gain from the upcoming football season.

New Jersey acted swiftly in regards to sports betting once Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was overturned, granting state lawmakers the power to pass new legislation on sports betting to allow both brick-and-mortar and online sports betting across the state.

After passing the bill, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the sports betting bill into law on June 11, 2018, allowing people age 21 and over to place bets at any of the Atlantic City casinos, racetracks, and former racetracks or from companies who had been approved for an online license.

New Jersey led the way in the fight against the PASPA act, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court. After losing the case in the smaller court systems, it seemed unlikely that NJ would prevail but then governor Chris Christie was relentless and appealed the case to the Supreme Court. It came as a surprise when the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) announced that they would review the case. In May of 2018 the Supreme Court decision was released to the public. The SCOTUS ruled that the PASPA act was unconstitutional in the way that it allowed some states to have sports betting while basically blackballing the other states.

In a time where state income is at the top of every state tax assessors list, many states are embracing legal domestic sportsbooks and looking to make some revenue off of the industry. Atlantic City is in the same boat and looking to revamp their casinos by adding sports betting to their casinos. Atlantic city has had its shares of ups and downs over the last couple of decades and now that NJ has won the case against the USA sports leagues, the state has every intention of creating new revenue for their beachfront gambling town.

More than 20 states have already drafted laws to allow sports betting in their state. Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois, and many more have started the process to legalize sports betting. Several states are well on their way to having operational sports betting in their state by the end of 2018. Since New Jersey won the case, many people thought they would be the first state outside the exempted states to start offering legalized sports betting but that might not be the case. Delaware who was prevented from offering single-game sports bets started their system June 5^th, 2018. Other states have already passed laws and are waiting to get their systems in place before sports betting is up and running.

Atlantic City is set to start legalized sports betting June 14^th, 2018 but not all casinos will have their systems up by that time. The New Jersey racetrack at Mammoth Park is set to start accepting bets and will likely accept the first legal sports bet in New Jersey. Until now, residents were able to legally place bets through licensed offshore sportsbooks accepting Atlantic City bettors. Lawmakers are excited about the business and potential revenue that sports betting could bring to New Jersey. They fought hard to get to this point and now intend to build up their community with the additional revenue sports betting could produce.

The American sporting leagues are still pushing for federal regulation and integrity fees (except NFL), as they claim they need the fee to protect the integrity of the games. It is not likely that we will see any federal regulation of the sports betting industry, but it is still a possibility. The NFL has taken a different stance and instead of asking for integrity fees they are looking at retaining licensing fees for use of their names and association.

As of now, there are 7 open casinos in Atlantic City with another casino in the process of opening. Below you will find their plans for legalized sports betting that will begin in New Jersey on June 14^th, 2018.

Borgata Hotel and Casio – Will begin accepting sports bets immediately, plans on opening a new venue in the casino to accept sports bets.

Ocean Resort – Will begin taking bets on sports June 28^th. Planning a 7,500 ft sportsbook dead center in the casino.

Resorts Casino – Paired with Draft Kings, internet gaming room will be converted into sports betting center.

Golden Nugget – Plans to have sports betting by the start of NFL season. Won’t be allowed to offer NBA betting since the owner owns an NBA team.

Hard Rock – Will likely have limited sports betting due to a naming rights deal with the Miami Dolphins. The casino is still a few months away from opening its doors.

Tropicana – Has yet to make any statements concerning sports betting.

Bally’s – Has not made a statement concerning sports betting.

Frank Sinatra’s Beef

Over the years there have been many stories associated with Atlantic City casinos, some good, some bad but the lessons learned and impacts the city has left on society will last forever. One of the first unforgettable stories to come from Atlantic City was the Frank Sinatra debacle. Sinatra was a singer and actor who was known as the casino headliner in prominent circles. One night after his performance at the Atlantic City Golden Nugget, Sinatra was playing Blackjack where he insisted that the dealer dealt from his hand instead of from a card shoe. He threatened to terminate his casino contract if the dealer didn’t oblige. The dealer did oblige but was later suspended for his actions and the casino was also fined $25k. The following year Sinatra canceled his Atlantic City performance but would eventually make his way back to the city by 1985.

Brian Molony Blows $10m

In 1985 the Brian Molony scandal came to life and was quickly recognized as one of the worst financial scandals of the legal casino era. Brian Molony was a bank employee that embezzled $10m and lost it all at Atlantic City casinos. The Caesars Boardwalk Regency Hotel and Casino never questioned the source of Molony’s cash and was ordered to shut down for 24 hours when the scandal was finally exposed. Molony was convicted and sentenced to 6 years in jail, he was released after 2.

The Money A Flowing And A Going

The Mid-2000’s was a great time for Atlantic City casinos in terms of revenue. By 2005, gross gaming revenues topped $5 billion. It looked as if the sky was the limit as revenues had continued to gain over the past few years. More casinos were interested in moving into Atlantic City and by 2007 Pinnacle Entertainment moved into the city with the purchase of the Sands casino. It was the first real attempt at a multi-billion-dollar beach casino. However, by that time neighboring states had begun to allow casino gambling and started pulling at the Atlantic City market. Eventually, 5 of the 12 Atlantic City casinos would close their doors and Pinnacle backed out of their deal leaving a big empty lot in the center of town.

The Trump Era

During Atlantic Cities glory days Donald Trump-owned 3 Atlantic City casinos. Today all of them have transferred ownership or closed for good. While Trump was a primary investor in Atlantic City he had some hard times there. In the beginning, Trump was responsible for bringing the best entertainment to the city. He had an exclusive contract with the heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson, making Atlantic City the world’s boxing capital for several years.

His troubles really started in the late 80’s when a few of his deals didn’t pan out the way he would have liked. He purchased what was known as the world’s most luxurious yacht for $29m and invited a media storm to the vessel upon its arrival in the US. Unfortunately, his plan backfired, the weather didn’t cooperate and the in fear of a lawsuit his team refused to let the media on the ship. The media went into a frenzy when they found out that one big-time tv crew did get invited on the ship. The incident resulted in a lot of bad press for Trump.

Another one of Trump’s mishaps occurred when David Hasselhoff was set to perform at the Trump Castle in Atlantic City in 1994. It was a pay-per-view event that was supposed to relaunch David’s career in the states. When David hit the stage, they realized that no one was watching and turned on the television to discover that there was a bigger event unfolding live on tv. OJ Simpson was leading the police on a chase in his Ford Bronco. This resulted in one of the biggest PPV television events in history.

40 Years In

Today there are 7 casinos still in operation in Atlantic City: Bally’s, Borgata, Caesars, Golden Nugget, Harrah’s, Resorts, and Tropicana. In 2017, Atlantic City gambling revenue set an annual revenue record with $2.6 billion, including online casinos. Many industry professionals believe the increased numbers show the industry is getting stronger. Before 2016, Atlantic City had faced a decade worth of declining revenue, so going into the green in 2016 was a big deal for the gambling city. Atlantic City is currently awaiting a Supreme Court Decision in the New Jersey vs. NCAA case. If the SCOTUS rules in favor of New Jersey it will likely start a legal sports betting trend phenomena across many states that have already drafted legislation to allow sports betting if the PAPSA act is overturned. The PAPSA act is the one thing that stands in Atlantic City’s way of increasing their revenue substantially in 2018.

The Supreme Court’s decision to no longer restrict wagering outside of Nevada will finally allow facilitates in New Jersey the authority and right to offer sports betting services. Even New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy has vocally spoken about stepping in and working closely with legislators to enact a law which would authorize and regulate sports betting in the state very soon. This newly established ruling will not only take New Jersey a step closer to legal sports betting but, as well as, other states.

Previously, single-game wagering had only been legalized in Nevada, funneling domestic sports wagers directly into their gaming industry. However, with PASPA gone New Jersey, specifically Atlantic City, may become the next Nevada. The Garden State may begin offering mobile and online sports betting options depending on the availability of the proper technology and software, but there is no doubt in our minds that they haven’t prepared for this moment. In fact, many NJ casinos and racetracks are rumored to begin sports betting services in the next two weeks where guests that are at least twenty-one may wager.

States have begun to openly accept sports betting as a potential revenue stream much like state-run lotteries. Several casino companies such as Caesars Entertainment, Penn National Gaming, MGM Resorts, Body gaming, and Wynn Resorts have seen their stock shares near double in value since SCOTUS’s ruling on PASPA. However, Congress can at any point establish a national framework for sports betting or ban it once more on a federal level. To continue, Justice Samuel Alito has made it known in the Supreme Court case’s majority opinion that Congress can act if it wishes or leave states to determine their own destiny.

Since the ruling, the American Gaming Association has praised SCOTUS for its decision while other Major Sports Leagues such as the PGA, NCAA, NBA, and MLB have made public statements, in an albeit begrudging manner. Several sports leagues players’ unions have stated that they would want to be involved in the creation and implementation of legal sports betting in some way to mitigate concerns regarding fixing games and point shaving.

While many are rejoicing in the potential future of legally domestic sports gambling offers, it is better to err on the side of caution. For instance, any “state-run” online sportsbooks that pop-up in the coming weeks could be dupes and illegal, as many states outside of NJ are said to have their systems pending in the coming months – potentially years from now. Therefore, to protect yourself from any discrepancies it is better to gamble at registered and licensed offshore sportsbooks until states gain the official go-ahead and get their ducks in a row.