Casino union president says visitor trends are 'troubling'
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ATLANTIC CITY — The president of the city's largest casino workers union said "alarm bells should be ringing in Atlantic City and in Trenton" over recent revenue reports that show a drop in in-person visits to the resort's gaming halls.
Donna DeCaprio, president of Unite Here Local 54, said the February 2024 gaming revenue results released by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement last month "confirms what those of us have been warning about over the past year — that attendance in our brick-and-mortar buildings is going in the wrong direction."
"It is incredibly troubling to see that six of the nine gaming properties have posted declines of casino-win compared to February 2023 and year-to-date compared to 2023," DeCaprio said Wednesday.
DeCaprio, whose union represents more than 10,000 casino workers in Atlantic City, said the downward trend in visits to the casinos is worrisome and needs to be faced.
“As lawmakers continue to proceed with the annual state budget process, representatives in the New Jersey Legislature must understand the perilous economic situation at hand for my members, and indeed all workers in Atlantic City," DeCaprio wrote in an email. "Not only is the overall in-person revenue troubling — but the size of the declines at some of the individual properties portends some serious instability for thousands of workers. The legislators need to take this into consideration as they consider policies that could compound the downward trends.”
The March 15 report showed internet gaming win reported by casinos and their partners was $182.3 million, nearly 28% higher than February 2023. Meanwhile, Atlantic City’s nine casinos won $211.6 million from in-person gamblers, down 1.6% from February 2023.
With in-person gambling considered essential to the casino industry and the city's tourism economy, the decrease in visitors is something that needs to be addressed, DeCaprio said.
Internet gambling revenue continues to soar in New Jersey, where online casinos are accounting for a growing share of the betting pie. Atlantic City’s casinos and their online partners won $182 million in internet bets in February.
Money from internet gambling and sports betting must be shared with outside parties like sports books and technology platforms, and it is not solely for the casinos to keep. For example, of the more than $1 billion in total sports bets made in New Jersey in February, $67.5 million was kept as revenue by the casinos, tracks and their partners after paying out winning bets and other expenses.
Casino officials and state lawmakers agree with DeCaprio's assessment.
Mark Giannantonio, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said DeCaprio's observations were "spot on" and demonstrated what the casino industry has also been pointing out for "quite some time."
He called on the city and state to address the issues that were preventing the city's economic growth and development.
"This is not the time to enact laws, such as a full smoking ban, that will further erode customer visitation and revenues to our properties," Giannantonio said in an email response. "It is time for the City of Atlantic City and the State of New Jersey, in its oversight capacity over the City, to address the issues that are preventing economic growth and develop solutions that will increase visitation to Atlantic City."
Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, also concurred with the union president's view, noting the "alarm bells" should have been ringing for years now, "but some in the City choose to sleep right through them."
"Without safety, cleanliness and lighting, the city will continue to lose tourists along with brick-and-mortar revenue," Polistina said. "The city has never been in a more precarious situation than it is right now, given that many parts of the city look worse than they ever have, and the city has essentially bankrupted the CRDA."
