Jersey casino

Outside of Nevada, no state in the Union has more of a rich history when it comes to gambling than New Jersey. Similar to Nevada, New Jersey is home to full-scale resorts, many of which have casinos, entertainment, restaurants, spas, and much more.

The Las Vegas of the East, Atlantic City is home to the majority of the casinos in New Jersey complete with the Atlantic City boardwalk and miles of beach along the Atlantic Ocean.

In , casino gambling was voted into legislation across the state, being fully legalized in specifically in Atlantic City. Let’s take a closer look at all things casinos in New Jersey, discussing the specifics when it comes to gambling at each of them.

Are there legal casinos in New Jersey?

Yes, there are many legal casinos in New Jersey spread throughout the state. In , casino gambling was voted into legislation across the state, being fully legalized in specifically in Atlantic City.

It was not until , that state legislators proposed the New Jersey Casino Expansion Amendment, which would have made casinos in the state legal outside of Atlantic City. The vote failed dramatically by a margin of 77% “No” votes.

Overseen and regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, legal casinos in New Jersey are a major source of income for the Garden State.

List of all casinos in New Jersey

There are nine casinos currently open in New Jersey, most of which offer a resort-style hotel in addition to their gambling facilities. Below is a list of all casinos in New Jersey currently open and operating, and what to expect when visiting each one.

• Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino
• Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
• Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino
• Golden Nugget Atlantic City Hotel, Casino & Marina
• Hard Rock Hotel Casino Atlantic City
• Harrah's Resort Atlantic City Hotel & Casino
• Ocean Resort Casino
• Resorts Casino Hotel
• Tropicana Atlantic City

Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino

Opened in December of , Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino is located in midtown Atlantic City and is one of the oldest hotel casinos in the state currently operating. Located directly on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, the property has more than 1, rooms and is one of the largest hotels in the area.

With 83, square feet of total gaming space, Bally’s also has five restaurants on the property including Guy Fieri’s Chophouse and Jerry Longo’s Meatballs & Martinis. With more than 1, slot machines and dozens of table games, there is also a FanDuel Sportsbook on the property.

In terms of entertainment, Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino has a full theater, which hosts everything from musical acts to boxing matches.

• Address: Pacific Ave, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa

Opened in July of , the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has a Tuscany theme and is the largest hotel-casino in the state with more than 2, rooms. Owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International, the Borgata has , square feet of total gaming space.

Within the gaming space, there are nearly 4, slot machines, table games, and a poker room with 50 poker tables. In addition to gambling, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is also home to the Borgata Comedy Club and notable restaurants such as American Grille and Izakaya. There is also a sportsbook, the Race & Sports Book, on the property for sports bettors.

• Address: 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino

Opening its doors in June of , the Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino mirrors its Las Vegas counterpart, using the Roman Empire theme that it had become iconic for. Today, the hotel has been expanded to include more than 1, rooms to go along with its , square feet of total gaming space.

On the casino floor, there are over 3, slot machines and table games, in addition to the Wild Wild West Casino which has a sportsbook retained by Caesars. For non-gamblers, there are six restaurants on the property, including two owned by famed chef Gordon Ramsey, as well as the Circus Maximus Theater which seats more than people.

• Address: Pacific Ave, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Golden Nugget Atlantic City Hotel, Casino & Marina

The Golden Nugget Atlantic City Hotel, Casino & Marina opened its doors in June , originally opened as Trump’s Castle before being sold to Landry’s, Inc. in February Today, it operates as a hotel-casino which features more than guest rooms, 74, square feet of gaming space, a seat theater, pool, spa, tennis courts, and even basketball courts.

As one of the most visited destinations in the Atlantic City marina area. Golden Nugget also features nine restaurants to choose from including Chart House, Vic & Anthony’s, Lillie’s Asian Cuisine, and more. There is also a sportsbook on the property, which offers sports betting for the resort's guests and visitors.

• Address: Huron Ave, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Hard Rock Hotel Casino Atlantic City

Opening its doors in April of with its classic rock and roll theme, Hard Rock Hotel Casino Atlantic City is located uptown and is one of the most classic properties in Atlantic City. Also, a former Trump property, the Trump Taj Mahal, the property was Hard Rock International and the Seminole Tribe of Florida purchased the property in , officially reopening as Hard Rock Hotel Casino in June

Today, the Hard Rock Casino offers residents more than 2, total rooms and suites and , of total gaming space. In , Hard Rock Hotel Casino launched a sportsbook as well, both brick and mortar and online.

• Address: Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Harrah's Resort Atlantic City Hotel & Casino

One of the oldest hotel-casinos in New Jersey, Harrah’s Resort opened its doors in November of in the Marina section of Atlantic City, capitalizing on the location with a Marina Waterfront theme. Owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment, the hotel portion is one of the biggest in town with more than 2, total rooms.

In terms of gaming space, Harrah's Resort Atlantic City Hotel & Casino has more than , square feet filled with nearly 6, slot machines, table games, and a professional poker room with 40 tables. In , the property also opened a sportsbook, where visitors and guests can place bets on sports.

• Address: Harrah's Blvd, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Ocean Resort Casino

Located in uptown Atlantic City, Ocean Resort Casino opened its doors in April and remains the news resort casino located in New Jersey. Originally opened as Revel Resort and Casino, the property was sold to AC Ocean Walk in January for $ million and re-opened with a renovation that summer.

With 1, rooms, Ocean Resort Casino also boasts more than , square feet of total gaming space for patrons to enjoy. On the casino floor, there are more than 2, slot machines and table games for customers, as well as a William Hill-operated sportsbook.

• Address: Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Resorts Casino Hotel

Featuring a Roaring Twenties-style theme, Resorts Casino Hotel is the smallest resort casino in New Jersey featuring just hotel rooms. Originally opened in as The Chalfonte House, the property has evolved over the years through various ownership groups, with Resorts International taking over in

Today, in total there is , square feet of total gaming space with thousands of video slots and table games for patrons to enjoy. A notable attraction on the property, the Resorts Superstar Theater is a 1,seat theater that has hosted famous acts over the years including Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and more.

• Address: Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Tropicana Atlantic City

Originally opened in as The Ambassador Hotel, the property remained that until when it was purchased by Ramada and turned into The Phoenix. In , the Ramada purchased the Tropicana Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and retained their New Jersey property Tropicana Atlantic City. From , the property was renamed to the TropWorld Resort, until a + hotel room expansion in and another renaming to Tropicana which it remains to this day.

Currently operating with more than 2, hotel rooms and , square feet of total gaming space, Tropicana Atlantic City is one of the largest properties in Atlantic City. In addition to the hotel and casino, there is an IMAX Theater, a High Limit Slot room, dozens of restaurants, and a Tropicana Sportsbook.

• Address: Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
• Contact information: ()

Are any new casinos opening in New Jersey in the near future?

No, as of early , there are no brick-and-mortar casinos planned to open in New Jersey in the near future. If there are, no public plans have been made available.

Timeline of casinos in New Jersey

While New Jersey is the hotbed of legal casinos and gambling on the East Coast today, it didn’t become that overnight. Below, we take a look at the time of casinos in New Jersey and how we got here today.

• : Lotteries were banned in the state of New Jersey, despite being a primary source of income for the military to pay for the American Revolution and French and Indian War.
• : The first vote was put before New Jersey voters to allow for casino gambling, failing to pass the 50% threshold by a vote of 60% “No.”
• : New Jersey voters were again allowed to vote on casino gambling, which this time they did by a 56% “Yes” vote. At the time, however, casino gambling was restricted to only the city of Atlantic City.
• : The first full-scale casino opened in Atlantic City, the Resorts Atlantic City.
• : Governor Chris Christie with the support of state legislators proposed the New Jersey Casino Expansion Amendment, but voters rejected the proposition with 77% “No” votes.