Casinos are the reason most people head to the Jersey Shore's casino capital, but Atlantic City's ten gambling resorts are far from equal. Some have quietly dated, while others have grown into full-blown resorts where the gaming floor is just one attraction among many. Here are the five that deliver the most beyond the slots.
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened in 2018 on the Boardwalk, rising from the ruins of the old Trump Taj Mahal. Music is the theme, and it's taken seriously: Elvis's Rolls-Royce Phantom sits on site alongside handwritten Drake lyrics and Elton John's suede shoes. There's a 7,000-seat arena for live shows, more than 2,300 slots, and a solid dining spread from the Indian restaurant Sitar to the dependable Hard Rock Cafe. Rooms start around $115 a night, and it rates as Atlantic City's best-reviewed casino resort on Tripadvisor.
In the Marina District, the Borgata is the city's heavyweight. New Jersey's Casino Control Commission credits it with more than a quarter of Atlantic City's 2024 gambling winnings — roughly $738 million — across a 161,000-square-foot casino with 2,451 slots and 228 tables. The upscale resort backs that up with 25 places to eat and drink, indoor and outdoor pools (one with a beer garden), a spa, barbershop, and two entertainment venues.
For a proper beach-meets-boardwalk stay, the Ocean Casino Resort is hard to beat. Its slender blue tower is the tallest building in town, with 1,860 rooms and floor-to-ceiling ocean views. Nightlife centres on the two-floor HQ2 Nightclub and its attached Beachclub, while Ovation Hall hosts comedians and touring acts. Eat at Amada, a well-liked Spanish spot on the Boardwalk, or Sunny's, a brunch favourite famous for its monkey bread.
Families should look at the Tropicana. Beyond its 1,600-plus slots and 95 tables, it packs in an escape room with Atlantic City-themed puzzles, an arcade for kids, a game lounge for adults, four pools, an IMAX cinema, and The Quarter — an in-house shopping and dining mall. It's the closest thing to a resort-mall hybrid on the Boardwalk.
Finally, Caesars, open since 1979 but freshly renovated, is the sleeper pick for food. Gordon Ramsay runs two outlets here, including a Hell's Kitchen modelled on the TV show, and the celebrated Japanese restaurant Nobu turns into a late-night club after dinner. The Roman-themed baths hold three pools at different temperatures, and the 145,000-square-foot casino sits in the middle of the Boardwalk.
Why it matters: Atlantic City has had its ups and downs since its 1980s heyday, and online betting has dulled the pull of the casino floor. But if you want a coastal break where gambling shares billing with live music, decent restaurants, pools and family entertainment, these five resorts make a strong case — whether or not you ever place a bet.
Story via Islands.
