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Thousands of jobs in the Atlantic City region are at risk as its nine casinos face escalating pressures from the introduction of gambling in New York City, as well as the growth of online gaming, rising operating costs and the impact of inflation on tourism, according to a new economic analysis.

Employment at the resort town’s casinos and hotels fell to 21,172 earlier this year, the lowest figure in at least nine years, according to a report from the Atlantic County Economic Alliance.

Resorts World New York City in Queens debuted live table games in April, making it the city’s first full-scale casino. Two more casinos are expected to open in the city in the next few years. That competition, combined with a possible economic recession, could result in the loss of some 5,100 jobs in the Atlantic City area by 2035, the ACEA analysis says.

In addition, if two proposed casinos are built elsewhere in New Jersey, one at the Monmouth Park racetrack and the other at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, job losses could grow to more than 8,000, and Atlantic City’s casinos could see their revenues drop 44%.

Atlantic City casino operators say they have been preparing for the new wave of increased competition by investing over $1 billion to upgrade their facilities over the past several years. Tourism officials have also been working to diversify the city’s appeal beyond gambling by bringing in more conferences, concerts and other events.

But industry leaders say the state must invest more in the resort’s tourism infrastructure and pause the licensing of new casinos elsewhere in New Jersey to prevent lasting harm to the regional economy.

“We aren’t asking anyone to stop competition,” said George Goldhoff, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, in a statement. “We’re asking the state to plan for it responsibly, so that the workers who show up every day to deal cards, clean rooms, and serve our guests aren’t the ones who pay the price for growth happening somewhere else.”

Gaming revenues are up, but casino profits keep falling

By some measures, gaming in New Jersey remains strong. In July, the industry as a whole saw its highest monthly revenues in nearly two years at $678 million, up 11.9% from the same month a year earlier.

Revenues in 2025 were $6.98 billion, 10.8% higher than in 2024. Following an increase in the tax rate on online gambling, the state reaped more than $1.1 billion in casino-related gaming taxes and fees, a 25% jump.

But the growth in those numbers came mainly from online gaming and sports wagering. Revenues from brick-and-mortar casinos have been basically flat as customers move to other types of gambling and entertainment, and their profits have steadily fallen as they spend more on hotel discounts and other enticements to try to bring visitors back.

Casino revenues totaled $3.29 billion in 2025, down slightly from the previous few years. Profits after expenses were $682 million, a drop from $709 million the previous year and about $781 million in 2023.

“It’s not only the costs associated with labor, supplies and energy that have risen,” said Brian Tyrrell, director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute for Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University. “For many of the operators, promotional costs, or ‘comps,’ likely need to be increased or have been increasing to retain and attract business in an ever increasingly competitive environment.”

Many of the casinos have invested in their properties and boosted spending on marketing during a period when inflation has made that work more expensive, he said.

Hard Rock spent $50 million this year to renovate 700 hotel rooms, 60 suites and eight penthouses, and opened two new restaurants. Ocean Casino Resort laid out $50 million last year as part of a five-year, $270 million program of room renovations and new restaurants, including two from restaurateur Stephen Starr.

Tyrrell noted that the casinos have had widely varying results depending on the market they serve. Their reported revenues and profits may also be affected in some cases by earnings and expenses at their internet gaming operations, he said.