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Atlantic City Information

Atlantic City named most affordable beach town for home buyers -  named Atlantic City the most affordable beach town in America for homebuyers in 2022. This is the second year in a row that the city has received this distinction. Compared to April 2021 home prices in the Atlantic City metro area in April 2022 increased 18.8%. Further coverage from . 

Atlantic City promotes 20 Class II officers to full time - As reported by , the recent promotion of 20 class II officers increases the total number of officers in the Atlantic City police department to 267 - approximately the same number of officers as when casinos first opened in the city in 1978. According to the city's proposed $25.9 million is expected to be spent on police salary and wages in 2022. 

Atlantic City to receive $6 million for Boardwalk repairs - As reported by $6 million in federal funds has been allocated to revitalize the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Repairs covering 1,200 feet of the historic landmark, between Florida and Missouri Avenues, will begin in the fall and finish before the Summer 2023 season. 

Bridge to the Beach Bike-A-Thon returns to Atlantic City in June - As reported by , the American Cancer Society-sponsored Bike-A-Thon from Philadelphia to Atlantic City celebrated its 50th ride on June 12. Organizers expect to raise $1.5 million from the event which will involve thousands of cyclists of all levels. 

National Historic Landmark, Atlantic City Fire Station No. 2, receives $500,000 from African American Civil Rights Grant program for building's rehabilitation - As reported by Atlantic City Fire Station No. 2 was the only New Jersey site to receive funding from the African American Civil Rights Grant program. The $500,000 in grant funds received, along with $750,000 in funds awarded by the New Jersey Historic Trust in October 2021, will be used to rehabilitate the over 100-year-old station and complete exterior renovations including waterproofing and a new roof.

New Jersey Senate approves bill authorizing CRDA to finance transportation project - As reported by and on May 26 senators voted in favor os Bill . The bill authorizes the Casino Reinvestment Development Association (CRDA) to finance transportation projects between Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) and the Atlantic City Tourism District. 

Vacant beach block lots go to auction - As reported by 18 vacant beach block lots on the north side of Atlantic City, an area known as the Southeast inlet or North Beach, went to auction on May 24-26. The lots are part of an Economic Opportunity Zone.

New Jersey Gaming News

Casinos and non-gaming companies make capital investments in Atlantic City - As reported by the , ahead of the Summer 2022 season a number of gaming and non-gaming businesses in Atlantic City have made major investments, renovating and adding amenities. Projects span dining, lodging, gaming and entertainment. Further coverage from . 

Fixed-odds horseracing betting introduced in New Jersey - As reported by , following the passage of the "" in August 2021,  Monmouth Park became the first US race track to offer fixed-odds wagering on horse races on May 8. Supporters of fixed-odds wagering hope it will help attract a new group of bettors to horse racing. 

Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) sale to DraftKings final - According to a May 5 , and reporting from and , DraftKings has officially completed its aquisition of Golden Nugget Online Gaming.

Union workers' contracts with eight of city's nine casinos expire May 31 - As reported by the and , contracts between the city's casinos (except Ocean Casino) and Unite Here Local 54, the union that represents aroung 10,000 of the casino workers employed in the resort, expired on May 31. Seeking wage increases, hundreds of workers picketed outside of Tropicana Atlantic City on June 1. Further reporting from . Contract negotiations continue. The Union apprpved a Strike Authorization Vote on June 15. 

National Gaming News

First Quarter 2022 "fastest start ever" for U.S. commercial gaming - According to a May 11 from the American Gaming Association, U.S. commercial casino operators set a new record for first quarter earnings with $14.31 billion generated nationwide in 2022. These earning nearly matched the all-tme quarterly record high set in fourth quarter 2021, $14.35 billion. 

Massachusetts may soon legalize sports betting - According to and , Massachusetts legislators are working on legislation which would legalize sports betting in the state. New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy the effort. 

New York State Receives $263 million in taxes generated by sports betting - According to a from the office of New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, in their first five months of opperation, New York sportsbooks have generated over a quarter million dollars in tax revenue for the state. The sportsbooks, which launched in January, pay taxes at a rate of 51% on online sportsbook revenue and 10% on retail sportsbook revenue. According to , New York's tax reveue surpasses both New Jersey ($229 million) and Pennsylvania ($253 million). Further reporting from .

Pennsylvania surpasses New Jersey in online gaming revenue for second consecutive month in April 2022 - As reported by and , online gaming operators in Pensylvania generated $138 million in gross gaming revenue in April 2022 surpassing New Jersey ($136.9 million in April 2022), but falling short of the U.S. record $142.7 million single month revenue, which they set in March 2022.  

Smoking bans at Pennsylvania casinos do not appear to negatively impact revenues; Pennsylvania and Rhode Island consider smoking ban legislation - As reported by , and , Rivers, Parx and Mount Airy Casinos in Pennsylvania have banned smoking on the gaming floor. Parx Casino, where a smoking ban has been in effect for almost a year, remains the top casino in the state for land-based revenue. Mount Airy, according to numbers from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, does not appear to have taken a financial hit from the smoking ban. Rivers' ban took effect April 29. As reported by , two Bally's casinos in Rhode Island have banned smoking at table games. Both states, Pennsylvania (House Bills , and Senate Bill ) and Rhode Island () have introduced legislation that would close the legislative loophole that allows smoking in casinos. 

Hospitality & Tourism News

American Hotel and Lodging Accociation relaunches "Hospitality is Working" Campaign - According to a May 3 , The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) has relaunched the "" campaign. The campaign highlights the "economic and community benefits hotels provide in neighborhoods across the country" and the AHLA hopes it will help "reignite" travel accross the country as the industry continues to recover from the pandemic.

Entry fees for New Jersey state parks waived - According to a May 26 from the office of New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, "entry to all New Jersey state parks, forests, and recreation areas will be free of charge this summer." 

In-person events making a comeback, says Meet AC - As reported by [and evidenced in data above shared by Meet AC], now that most COVID-19 restrictions have ended meeting planners are shifting back from virtual to in-person events. In the first quarter of 2022, events in Atlantic City generated approximatly $34.7 million.

New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism releases annual Tourism Economic Impact report - The  report prepared by Tourism Economics for was released this month. According to the report, 96.6 million visitors to New Jersey generated $37.3 billion in spending in 2021. Visitation is expected to increase to 108.0 million and spending to $44.6 billion in 2022 with a return to pre-covid levels by 2023. 

Pacific Avenue Redevelopment Initiative announced for Wildwood, New Jersey, city receives $3.2 million grant to aid reconstruction of Boardwalk - As reported by , the city of Wildwood and Cape May County in New Jersey have announced the , a joint effort to revitalize a 1.3-mile stretch of Pacific Avenue, which includes the downtown center. The $375,000 innitiative creates a Pacific Avenue Redevelopment Zone and includes tax abatements for development, the public purchase of derelict properties and zoning changes to increase residential density. The county will cover 80% and the city 20% of costs. This pilot program may provide a model for future efforts in the county. Also reported by , Wildwood has been awarded a $3.2 million U.S. Economic Development Administration Grant, which will help fund continued reconstruction work on the boardwalk. With a combination of grants and local funding, the city plans to reconstruct a total eight blocks of "damaged and aging boardwalk."

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Independance Visitor Center generates average $72 million in additional annual visitor spending - As reported by , in the first two decades of operation it saw an average 2.11 million visitors annually. Because of their visit to the center, visitors spent an additional $72 million annually on average in the region for a total of $1.43 billion in spending over 20 years. 

Strong summer predicted for Cape May County - As reported by , government and tourism leaders gathered for the  Cape May County Tourism Conference on May 25. Presented at the conference was a , which included details of a visitor survey. The survey showed that 8% of visitors to the county had come to the area for the first time and 39% (the largest segment) had been coming for over 20 years. The county hopes that marketing itself as "less than a tank of gas away from about 30 million people" and appealing to Canadian visitors who have been unable to come since the start of the pandemic will make for a strong 2022 season. 

Wildwood, New Jersey announces launch of new Wildwoods Island Shuttle in partnership with the Jitney Association - As reported by , from the end of May through mid-October, the will serve visitors of the resort from 5 p.m. to 2:30 am daily June 20 through September 5 and weekends only in the pre and post summer season.