Introduction to New Jersey Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
That means we can’t tell you how online slot machines actually performed over that same period of time. Players spend multiple games in an attempt to trigger this famous bonus, which pays out every time and can potentially result in a jackpot for the player. At NJ online casinos the very same computer programs run on servers you can access on the internet. First of all, the land-based casino. Atlantic City’s Best Casino Slots are at Resorts AC Over 800 New Slot Machines! With more than 800 slot games and a reputation as the “luckiest casino” for slots in Atlantic City, there’s no better place to play the slots.
New Jersey slot machine casino gambling consists of nine casinos in Atlantic City. None of the three racetracks or off-track betting (OTB) facilities offer physical slot machines. However, New Jersey has legalized online slots for real-money gambling.
The New Jersey gaming commission has established a minimum payout limit for slots machines in Atlantic City. Monthly return statistics are publicly available.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in New Jersey*
The minimum legal gambling age in New Jersey depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
Historically, New Jersey’s Atlantic City established legalized gaming on the eastern side of the United States from Nevada. Voters legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976. The New Jersey Casino Control Act became state law in 1977. The first casino in New Jersey, the Resorts International Casino, opened in Atlantic City in 1978.
During their peak in 2006, when they were the only commercial casinos in the eastern U.S., Atlantic City casinos were an economic boon. Afterward, the many casinos and racinos throughout the eastern states, along with the Great Recession, hugely reduced the profitability of Atlantic City casinos. Since the reopening of two casinos in mid-2018, Atlantic City casinos have seen a significant upturn in profitability.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
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Slot Machine Private Ownership in New Jersey
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in New Jersey if manufactured before 1941.
Gaming Control Board in New Jersey
The State of New Jersey Casino Control Commission regulates online and Atlantic City casino gambling alongside the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement. The Commission is an independent agency while the Division is an arm of the New Jersey’s Attorney General’s Office.
New Jersey’s gaming regulations promoting a safe and robust gaming industry are publicly available from the Casino Control Commission. However, the Division of Gaming Enforcement announces Atlantic City jackpots of $50,000 or more won each year in Atlantic City, including sharing such useful jackpot information as:
- Date
- Casino
- Jackpot amount
- Slot machine denomination, manufacturer, and game theme
Casinos in New Jersey
There are nine commercial casinos in New Jersey.
The largest casino in New Jersey is Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa with 3,000 gaming machines.
The second-largest casino is Resorts Casino Hotel with 2,500 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in New Jersey
New Jersey has nine casinos in Atlantic City including:
The Wild Wild West Casino is officially a portion of Bally’s Atlantic City, often considered by the public to be a separate casino.
Tribal Casinos in New Jersey
New Jersey has no federally-recognized American Indian Tribes. Therefore, the state does not have any tribal casinos.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying New Jersey slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering New Jersey is:
- North: New York Slots
- East and South: Atlantic Ocean
- South and West: Delaware Bat
- West: Pennsylvania Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to New Jersey.
Online slots for real-money gambling is a real alternative for New Jersey, but only if you are physically located within the state. The state offers a verified list with links of state-approved Internet Gaming Sites.
If an online gaming site is not on this list, it’s not approved to offer internet gaming in the State of New Jersey.
Our New Jersey Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in New Jersey? If so, join our new New Jersey slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in New Jersey. Join us!
Payout Returns in New Jersey
Best Slot Machines Atlantic City 2015 Winners
New Jersey gaming regulations require all slot machines have a minimum theoretical payout of at least 83%.
The Division of Gaming Enforcement makes New Jersey gaming Financial and Statistical Information publicly available with monthly and quarterly gross revenue reports. The monthly gross revenue reports are most useful with regards to return statistics.
Further, the Division offers Monthly Gross Gaming Revenues with casino win statistics. These monthly statistics provide a Win% which, in New Jersey, is the amount won by the casino instead of the more usual amount won by the player. Player Win% is 100% minus the Casino Win% provided in these monthly reports.
For March 2020, the number of slot machines and overall player win percentage at each of the nine casinos in Atlantic City was:
- Bally’s (1,775 slot machines): 100% minus 8.2% equals 91.8%
- Borgata (2,864 slot machines): 92.0%
- Caesars (1,888 slot machines): 91.4%
- Golden Nugget (1,417 slot machines): 91.2%
- Hard Rock (2,167 slot machines): 90.4%
- Harrah’s (2,036 slot machines): 91.7%
- Ocean (1,758 slot machines): 90.0%
- Resorts (1,436 slot machines): 90.4%
- Tropicana (2,357 slot machines): 90.5%
For March 2020, the highest return for players went to the Borgata at 92.0% followed closely by Bally’s at 91.8% and Harrah’s at 91.7%.
The lowest return went to Ocean at 90.0% closely followed by Hard Rock and Resorts at 90.4%.
Summary of New Jersey Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
New Jersey slot machine casino gambling consists of nine casinos in Atlantic City as well as internet gaming choices for individuals physically located within the borders of New Jersey.
The theoretical payout minimum limit for slot machines is 83%. Monthly return statistics are publicly available for each casino.
Annual Progress in New Jersey Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Over the last year, there has been little change to the slots gaming industry in New Jersey outside of the significant issues related to the global pandemic.
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
- Previous: New Hampshire Slot Machine Casino Gambling
- Next: New Mexico Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
When it comes to determining the Atlantic City casino with the best slots, there is really only one statistic that matters: return to player rate (RTP).
For games in a casino, the odds of winning are expressed in RTP.
- Essentially, RTP is the percentage of money bet on a game that the game will ultimately pay back to players.
- If a game has a 90 percent RTP, for every $100 bet on it, a player should expect to win back $90.
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However, RTP indicates the longterm performance of a game. This means it may take more than $100 in bets for the game to pay back that $90. Nothing is guaranteed, particularly in the short term, and a player may not ever see a slot’s true RTP realized before they run out of money playing it.
That said, RTP remains the best indicator of which casino has the loosest, and therefore best slots.
NJ online slots with high RTP + best promo codes & bonus offers: December 2020
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Atlantic City casino slots: Always look for RTP
According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s Atlantic City Casino Industry Casino Win Data For Calendar Year 2017 document, slots at the seven Atlantic City casinos operating last year had an overall average of 92.1 percent RTP. It’s no wonder slots are so popular.
The average RTP is actually much lower for the penny slots that appear to be the busiest in most Atlantic City casinos.
In fact, the one cent and two cent slots at Atlantic City casinos had an average of 88.7 percent RTP in 2017. The penny slots at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa were the best among them at 89.8 percent RTP. However, Borgata’s overall average RTP among slots of all denominations was 91.89 percent, below the industry average and far from the best in the business.
High roller slots pay much better across the board. The best $25 slots can be found at Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, where they had a 94.4 percent RTP last year. The Atlantic City average for $25 slots in 2017 was 92.5 percent RTP.
For $100 slots, Resorts Casino Hotel and Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City posted 94.1 and 94.2 percent RTP respectively last year. Numbers that were well above the 91.7 percent RTP industry average for $100 slots.
The loosest slots among the thousands at Atlantic City casinos in 2017 were actually the five-cent slot machines at Tropicana. These slots posted a 95.2 percent RTP on their way to becoming one of Atlantic City’s best bets last year.
Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City
Plus, they helped Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City post an overall average of 92.59 percent RTP on slots of all denominations, making the Trop the Atlantic City casino with the loosest and best slots.
Here’s a look at the average RTP on slots of all denominations for all seven Atlantic City casinos:
- Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City: 92.59 percent
- Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino: 92.24 percent
- Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino: 92.23 percent
- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa: 91.89 percent
- Resorts Casino Hotel: 91.82 percent
- Golden Nugget Atlantic City: 91.66 percent
- Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City: 91.44 percent
Slots at The Trop
One of the oldest and most storied casino properties in Atlantic City, the Tropicana currently boasts three floors of casino gaming with more than 3,000 slot machines and 135 table games. Resort amenities also include more than 2,000 hotel rooms, 26 restaurants, 25 shops, 20 bars and lounges, four pools, an IMAX Theater, a spa and a 2,000-seat showroom.
Tropicana prides itself on being a casino games innovator and boasts a selection of more than 2,400 different games it says surpasses the offerings of other Atlantic City casinos.
In terms of slots, the list includes everything from the newest slots available to a wide variety of classics. The games are in areas with engaging themes. Many feature linked and individual progressive jackpots. There also a rather large video poker area and a stylish and inviting High Limit slots lounge with a private concierge, restrooms, and hundreds of high-denomination slot games.
Tropicana’s history in Atlantic City
The origins of Tropicana Casino and Resort lie in The Ambassador Hotel, circa 1919.
The Ambassador infamously played host to the Atlantic City Conference for organized crime bosses. The likes of Al Capone, Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano all attended.
The Ambassador closed in the 1970s. However, Ramada brought its bones back to life in 1981. The organization actually purchased the Ambassador in 1978 with plans to remodel. Ramada was forced by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and then-Gov. Brendan Byrne to demolish the property and build a new hotel and casino practically from the ground up, reusing only the steel framework from the old hotel.
Ramada bought the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in 1979 and decided to call the under-construction Boardwalk property Tropicana Atlantic City.
It opened in November 1981, with a 521-room hotel and casino. Renovations continued throughout the 1980s, adding a showroom, a second hotel tower, and the Tivoli Pier indoor amusement center. Tropicana Atlantic City became TropWorld Casino and Entertainment Resort.
Tropicana changes hands
Ramada ended the 1980s by selling the Las Vegas Tropicana. The mid-1990s saw another new hotel tower added and further renovations. A new poker, keno and off-track betting area opened, and the property was renamed Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City.
The early 2000s saw another new hotel tower, a parking garage, and increased meeting and convention space added. Plus, The Quarter at Tropicana, a 200,000-square-foot entertainment complex and shopping mall opened up.
Ownership landed in the hands of a company called Columbia Sussex in 2005. However, Columbia Sussex was denied a casino license in 2007. Ultimately, a trustee took control.
Carl Icahn steps in and out
A group of creditors led by billionaire Carl Icahn bought Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City out of bankruptcy in 2009.
Icahn ran the property under his Tropicana Entertainment Inc. umbrella. The company has made more than $200 million in upgrades, renovations, and enhancements since 2013.
However, Icahn announced plans to sell Tropicana Entertainment Inc.’s US casino properties, including Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City, to real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties in early 2018.