Atlantic City casinos see 1st revenue increase in 10 years

Atlantic City Boardwalk in winter (Emma Lee/WHYY

Atlantic City Boardwalk in winter (Emma Lee/WHYY

Internet gambling has helped Atlantic City’s casinos post their first revenue increase in a decade.

Figures released Thursday by state gambling regulators show the casinos won $2.6 billion from gamblers in 2016, an increase of 1.5 percent from a year earlier.

The last time Atlantic City casino revenue increased was in 2006, just as a wave of Pennsylvania casinos began opening and drawing away Atlantic City’s customers.

That year, there were 12 casinos in Atlantic City. There are now seven. And only two of those posted revenue declines.

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The Trump Taj Mahal, which was opened by President-elect Donald Trump in 1990, shut down Oct. 10.

Internet gambling revenue in New Jersey rose by more than 32 percent last year, to nearly $197 million.

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