November 2021
In LIGHT of the data.
In September and October 2021, Atlantic City鈥檚 casino operators saw real gains in brick-and-mortar revenues over 2019 levels in spite of the lingering effects of the pandemic on in-person patronage of casinos and other large-scale events and meetings.
With the return of colder weather and the resurgence of COVID-19 infection rates, a decline in revenue in November is not entirely unexpected if a little disappointing.
Of note, with one month remaining, year-to-date brick-and-mortar casino gaming revenues ($2.34 billion) are $343.9 million (12.8%) shy of year-end 2019 revenues ($2.68 billion). If December performs at least as well as November, Atlantic City will be within 6% of 2019 levels for the year-end a meaningful improvement over the 16% decline in 2020 and after nearly two years of pandemic suppressed operations.
The year鈥檚 best performing revenue sectors, online and sports gaming, are revenues that Atlantic City鈥檚 casino operators must share with third party business providers, limiting the bottom-line earnings for those operations. Overall, New Jersey鈥檚 gaming operators have managed a respectable recovery, putting up record total gaming revenue numbers through innovation and adaptation in implementing non-traditional gaming products.
Atlantic City Gaming Win & Total Casino Revenue
Source:
| Monthly Revenue (Industry, $ In Thousands) |
November 2021 |
% Change from Prior Year | November 2020 | YTD November 2021 | % Change from Prior Year | YTD November 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Gaming Win (includes Internet & Sports Wagering) | 362,323 | 38.9% | 260,859 | 3,856,896 | 62.5% | 2,373,726 |
| Sports Wagering Revenue | 37,483 | 66.8% | 22,471 | 280,543 | 104.2% | 137,391 |
| Internet Gaming Win | 117,953 | 28.5% | 91,827 | 1,233,679 | 41.7% | 870,887 |
| Casino Gaming Win | 206,887 | 41.2% | 146,561 | 2,342,673 | n/a | 1,365,447 |
| Quarterly Revenue (Industry, $ In Thousands) | Q3 2021 | % Change from Prior Year | Q3 2020 | YTD September 30, 2021 | % Change from Prior Year | YTD September 30, 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | 505,871 | 35.6% | 373,176 | 1,328,803 |
58.2% |
840,047 |
| Rooms |
246,860 |
72.0% | 143,490 | 482,556 | 100.1% | 241,104 |
| Food & Beverage | 142,029 | 179.0% | 50,900 | 296,682 | 91.8% | 154,653 |
| Entertainment & Other | 73,271 | 102.5% | 36,191 | 151,205 | 74.6% | 86,604 |
| Casino Licensees Total Revenue | 968,031 | 60.3% | 603,757 | 2,259,245 | 70.8% | 1,322,408 |
Atlantic City Hotel Lodging
Source:
| Casino Hotel Lodging Statistics For the Period Ended September 30, 2021 & 2020 |
Q3 2021 | Q3 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupancy percentage | 81.3% | 72.9% | 68.0% | 70.6% |
| Average Daily Room Rate (ADR) | $224.61 | $159.11 | $178.07 | $144.89 |
| Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR)* | $182.50 | $116.02 | $121.08 | $102.36 |
* RevPAR= ADR X Occupancy Percentage
Atlantic City Statistical Transportation Data
Source:
| Travel Mode | October 2021 |
Change from Prior Year |
October 2020 |
YTD October 2021 |
Change from Prior Year |
YTD October 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Expressway | ||||||
| Total Toll-Paying Traffic Pleasantville Toll Plaza |
1,539,261 | 31.7% | 1,168,775 | 14,765,205 | 22.5% | 12,050,673 |
| AC Airport | ||||||
| Scheduled Service Passengers | 64,755 | 101.5% | 32,141 | 660,700 | 83.7% | 359,754 |
| Charter Passengers | 10,555 | 580.1% | 1,552 | 55,588 | 118.7% | 25,421 |
| Total Air Passengers | 75,310 | 123.5% | 33,693 | 716,288 | 86.0% | 385,175 |
Atlantic City Meetings and Conventions Data
Source:
| November '21 | November '20 | % Change from Prior Year |
TOTAL 2021 YTD |
TOTAL 2020 YTD |
% Change from Prior Year |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventions/Tradeshows/Meetings* | ||||||
| # of Shows | 3 | 0 | n/a | 27 | 23 | 17% |
| # of Room Nights | 11,257 | 0 | n/a | 33,694 | 72,188 | -53% |
| # of Delegates | 22,415 | 0 | n/a | 96,393 | 217,217 | -56% |
| Delegate Spending | $9,752,090 | 0 | n/a | $29,344,231 | $56,795,304 | -48% |
| Boardwalk Hall Bookings | ||||||
| # of Shows | 2 | 0 | n/a | 5 | 11 | -55% |
| # of Attendees | 9,418 | 0 | n/a | 44,333 | 129722 | -66% |
| Hotel Bookings | ||||||
| # of Shows | 7 | 0 | n/a | 104 | 40 | 160% |
| # of Room Nights | 2,983 | 0 | n/a | 94,156 | 27,730 | 240% |
| # of Attendees** | 2,830 | 0 | n/a | 123,772 | 41,700 | 197% |
| Delegate Spending | $1,735,494 | 0 | n/a | $54,347,817 | $15,887,942 | 242% |
| Monthly Totals | ||||||
| # Convs_Trade_Mtgs / Boardwalk Hall / Hotel | 12 | 0 | n/a | 136 | 74 | 84% |
| # of Room Nights | 14,240 | 0 | n/a | 127,850 | 99,918 | 28% |
| # of Attendees | 34,663 | 0 | n/a | 264,498 | 388,639 | -32% |
| Delegate Spending | $11,487,584 | 0 | n/a | $83,692,048 | $72,683,246 | 15% |
Notes:
Reduction in figures beginning mid-March 2020 are due to cancellations and/or shut downs as a result of COVID-19
January 2021 hotel attendees reflect virtual attendance numbers
*Includes Meet AC events booked at Boardwalk Hall
** 2020 figures may have been adjusted due to COVID-19 related updates
LIGHT Snapshots is a publication of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality
& Tourism, 麻豆传媒社区 School of Business
Jane Bokunewicz, Ph. D., Faculty Director and Associate Professor of Hospitality
Atlantic City Information
Ground broken for Atlantic City ShopRite project - As reported by , on November 18 ground was broken on the 444,000 square-foot ShopRite supermarket to be located at 1801 Baltic Avenue in Atlantic City. Atlantic City has been without a major grocery store for more than 15 years.
麻豆传媒社区 receives grant for police reform initiative in Atlantic City - According to a November 16 press release from 麻豆传媒社区, the University has received a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct and assess a new policing intervention in Atlantic City and Pleasantville that focuses on improving police-citizen interactions during traffic stops with residents and visitors. The project will beging Summer 2022 and last 18 months. Further reporting from .
"Stronger Shores" effort announced in Atlantic City - As reported by , on November 23, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew announced the "Stronger Shores" innitiative at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Atlantic City near Absecon Inlet. Brett Matik, chairperson of the Atlantic County Economic Alliance; 麻豆传媒社区 President Harvey Kesselman; Capt. Jonathan Theel, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay; and Lt. Col. Ramon Brigantti, commander of the Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined Van Drew for the announcment. "Stronger Shores" promises a series of policies and projects, costing billions of dollars, aimed at increasing the resilience of New Jersey coastal communities. Announced projects include the dredging of the mouth of the Maurice River, back bays and shipping routes from Cape May to north of Atlantic City. Funding for the projects may come from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Teachers convention returns to Atlantic City - As reported by , after a virtual meeting in 2020, the annual returned to the Atlantic City Convention Center on November 4 and 5. The NJEA convention is one of the largest conventions held in Atlantic City. According to a from Meet AC, including two other events, the annual New Jersey State League of Municipalities Conference (November 16-18) and the Import Expo (November 7-8), Atlantic City welcomed 37,800 convention attendees in November. The estimated economic impact for the three events is over $20 million.
Work begins on replacement of Venice Park bridge - As reported by , on December 6, work to replace the bridge crossing Primrose Avenue in the Venice Park neighborhood of Atlantic City began. This $2.5 million infrastructure project, aimed at improving connectivity and safety for residents, is being paid for with funds from the state Department of Transportation and the South Jersey Transportation Authority.
New Jersey Gaming News
Amendment to Atlantic City PILOT Bill considered - As reported by , and , legislators are considering an ammendment to the 2016 bill that established a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) for Atlantic City's casinos. A number of bills have been proposed. The state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reported favorably on Senate Bill () on December 6. According to the Assembly committee passed an amended version of A5587 (now identical to S4077) on December 13. The bill will now go to the full Senate and Assembly for a final vote. Linked here is cfrom Casino Association of New Jersey President Joe Lupo
Casino Association of New Jersey names new president - As reported by the and , Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City President Joe Lupo has been appointed president of the Casino Association of New Jersey. Lupo's appointment follows the unexpected resignation of Terry Glebocki, former CEO of Ocean Casino Resort.
Voters reject college sports betting ballot question - As reported by , , and, New Jersey voters rejected a ballot measure () that would have permitted wagering on New Jersey-based collegiate sports teams and
collegiate events occuring in New Jersey. Poling conducted by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at
麻豆传媒社区 predicted the ballot question would be rejected.
National Gaming News
Esports Trade Association chooses head of an Atlantic City-based esports company to help develop betting standards for esports and video games - As reported by , Anthony Gaud, CEO and co-founder of G3 Esports, has been named to the . Gaud will will establish and chair a committee tasked with developing betting standards and processes for esports and video games nationally.
Jim Allen of Hard Rock International to lead American Gaming Association - According to a Novemer 5 from the (AGA), Jim Allen, Har