Gambling in Atlantic City is legal for anyone 21 or older at any of the nine licensed casino-hotel properties, which run table games, slot machines, poker, sportsbooks, and affiliated online platforms around the clock. New Jersey law restricts casino gaming to those licensed properties within the city, so if you want to place a bet in the state, you’re doing it on one of their floors, in one of their sportsbooks, or through one of their apps while physically inside New Jersey.
You Must Be 21 to Gamble
New Jersey ties the minimum casino age to the legal drinking age, which means 21 to enter a gaming floor or place any wager.1FindLaw. New Jersey Code 5-12-119 – Gaming by Certain Persons Prohibited Penalties Defenses A narrow exception lets anyone walk through a casino as a passageway to reach another part of the building, and licensed or registered employees can be on the floor to work. Lingering, watching play, or placing a bet while under 21 is not allowed.
Getting caught gambling underage is a disorderly persons offense, with a fine between $500 and $1,000.1FindLaw. New Jersey Code 5-12-119 – Gaming by Certain Persons Prohibited Penalties Defenses A casino employee who knowingly lets an underage person stay on the floor faces the same charge, unless they can show the person used a fake written ID, looked old enough to fool a reasonable adult, and the employee acted in good faith.
Where You Can Legally Gamble
All legal gambling in Atlantic City happens inside licensed casino-hotel complexes. No slot machines in bars. No card rooms in strip malls. The nine properties currently operating are:2New Jersey Casino Control Commission. Casino Information
- Bally’s Atlantic City, 1900 Pacific Ave.
- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, One Borgata Way
- Caesars Atlantic City, 2100 Pacific Ave.
- Golden Nugget Atlantic City, Huron Ave. & Brigantine Blvd.
- Hard Rock Atlantic City, 1000 Boardwalk
- Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, 777 Harrah’s Blvd.
- Ocean Casino Resort, 500 Boardwalk
- Resorts Casino Hotel, 1133 Boardwalk
- Tropicana Atlantic City, 2831 Boardwalk
All nine run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so there’s no curfew to plan around. Security and state investigators patrol the boundaries between gaming floors and public space. Running any form of gambling outside a licensed property is a criminal offense.
What You Can Bet On
New Jersey’s Casino Control Act limits play to “authorized games” inside licensed casino rooms.3FindLaw. New Jersey Code 5-12-100 – Limitation on Games In practice, the Division of Gaming Enforcement approves a broad lineup: blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, pai gow, and multiple poker formats at the tables, with slot machines and video poker filling most of the floor space.
Every slot machine must return at least 83% of money wagered over time.4Cornell Law Institute. New Jersey Code 13-69E-1.28A – Standards for the Approval of a Slot Machine Game That’s a floor, not a ceiling, and competitive Atlantic City properties typically run return-to-player percentages well above it. The state tests and certifies every machine before it goes live.
Sports Betting
Casinos that hold a sports wagering license can run a sportsbook alongside their traditional gaming.5New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. New Jersey Code 5-12A – Sports Wagering You can bet on professional sports, international competitions, and most college events, with single-game bets, parlays, teasers, over-unders, moneylines, in-game wagers, and prop bets all on the menu.
One restriction trips up visitors: New Jersey prohibits wagering on college games played within the state and on any game involving a New Jersey college team, no matter where it’s held. If Rutgers plays an away game in Ohio, you still can’t bet on it from an Atlantic City sportsbook. Check the board rather than assuming every game you’d expect is listed.
Online and Mobile Gambling
You don’t need to be at a table to gamble legally in New Jersey. The state authorizes online casino games and sports betting through platforms affiliated with land-based license holders, so every legal online operator is tied to one of the nine Atlantic City casinos.6New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. New Jersey Administrative Code Chapter 69O – Internet and Mobile Gaming
Before accepting a wager, the platform uses geolocation to confirm you’re physically inside New Jersey.6New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. New Jersey Administrative Code Chapter 69O – Internet and Mobile Gaming Cross the line into Pennsylvania or New York and the app locks you out. From your Atlantic City hotel room, no problem. On the drive home once you leave the state, expect it to stop working.
Smoking on the Gaming Floor
New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act bans indoor smoking in nearly all workplaces, but casinos have an exemption. Properties can designate up to 25% of their gaming floor for tobacco use, and no physical barrier is required between smoking and non-smoking sections. Secondhand smoke drifts across the floor as a practical matter. If smoke is a problem for you, ask at the host desk which areas are smoke-free before you sit down. The exemption has faced ongoing legal challenges, so the rules can change.
Bring Valid Photo ID
Carry a government-issued photo ID every visit. A driver’s license, passport, or military ID works. Casinos check it to confirm your age, and they’ll need it again when a payout triggers tax reporting. Hit $2,000 or more on a slot machine and the casino won’t release the money until you produce ID and a Social Security number for the W-2G.7Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754
Staff also use your ID to check the state’s self-exclusion list. If your name is on it, you’ll be escorted out. Presenting a fake ID to get on a gaming floor or claim winnings is a separate offense that can lead to criminal prosecution.
Taxes on Your Winnings
Winning money at a casino creates tax obligations at the federal and state level. Most casual players don’t think about it until a big hit triggers paperwork at the cashier’s window.
Casinos file a Form W-2G when bingo or slot winnings reach the reporting threshold, which for payments in 2026 is $2,000.7Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754 For keno, the threshold is $1,500. Table game winnings generally don’t trigger a W-2G unless they come from a tournament, but the income isn’t tax-free. You owe federal income tax on all gambling winnings whether a form is issued or not.
Mandatory federal withholding of 24% applies when net winnings exceed $5,000 from sweepstakes, wagering pools, lotteries, or sports bets paying at least 300 times the wager.7Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754 Slot machine and bingo winnings are exempt from that automatic withholding, though backup withholding at the same 24% rate kicks in if you don’t give a taxpayer ID number.
New Jersey requires casinos to withhold 3% of gambling winnings subject to state withholding rules, and this applies to residents and nonresidents alike.8Cornell Law Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 18-35-7.6 – Gambling Winnings Subject to Withholding On your state return, you can offset winnings with gambling losses from the same year, but you can’t create a net loss. If you lost more than you won, you report zero rather than a negative number.9State of New Jersey Division of Taxation. Lottery and Gambling Winnings The IRS expects a diary or log of wins and losses, backed by receipts, tickets, and statements, and federal loss deductions require itemizing on Schedule A.10Internal Revenue Service. Gambling Income and Losses
If Gambling Becomes a Problem
New Jersey runs a voluntary self-exclusion program through the Division of Gaming Enforcement. Adding your name to the list bars you from all casinos, online platforms, and sports wagering in the state. The program offers three terms:11New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Self Exclusion Program
- One year, available through in-person, video conference, or online enrollment.
- Five years, same enrollment options as the one-year term.
- Lifetime, which requires an in-person or video conference meeting.
Once you’re on the list, your name stays there until the minimum period expires and you actively request removal. The commitment is irrevocable during the term you choose. Enrollment requires photo ID and a photograph.
Violating a self-exclusion order carries consequences beyond being asked to leave. Gambling on an online platform while self-excluded means forfeiting any winnings and electronic credits in your account.12New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Division of Gaming Enforcement – Self Exclusion Instructions Casino operators may also ban you from their properties nationwide and strip accumulated rewards points. To enroll or ask questions, call the DGE Self-Exclusion Hotline at 1-833-788-4343.