There are nine Atlantic City casinos, and they are not interchangeable. Six line the Boardwalk, from Ocean’s glass tower at the north end to the Tropicana at the south, and three sit together in the Marina District on the bay, a few minutes’ drive away. Between them they have 15,424 hotel rooms, and they differ far more than their ads let on: one has a poker room of more than 75 tables and still runs a buffet, another has neither a poker room nor a family pool, one takes dogs, and one keeps its pool under a retractable glass roof. We ranked all nine on the things that decide how a trip goes: the rooms, the casino floor, the food, the pools and spas, the shows, the location and the fees you pay on top of the room rate.
Quick answer: Borgata, in the Marina District, is the best all-around casino resort for most visitors, with the most rooms, the deepest restaurant list and the biggest poker room. Ocean has the newest-feeling rooms and the best spa, and Hard Rock is the pick for concerts and a Boardwalk base. Choose the Boardwalk for the beach and walking, the Marina for a stay-inside resort weekend, and budget for a resort fee (about $28 to $42 a night where it’s published), 13.625% tax and $7 a night in state fees.
Last updated September 24, 2026. Rooms, restaurants, pools, parking, fees, rewards programs and rules were checked on September 24, 2026, against each casino’s own website, the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and the Division of Gaming Enforcement, and every price is dated in the text. Room counts and occupancy are the state’s figures for the end of June 2026, and gaming-win rankings are the state’s figures for 2025 and January to August 2026. Where a casino’s own pages disagree with each other, we say so.
- Nine casinos, all open 24 hours: Ocean, Hard Rock, Resorts, Bally’s, Caesars and Tropicana on the Boardwalk, and Borgata, Harrah’s and Golden Nugget in the Marina District. The Showboat and The Claridge look like casino hotels but have no casino.
- You must be 21 to gamble, to stay on a casino floor and, at most of these hotels, to book a room. Children can walk through a casino floor but not stop on it.
- Smoking is still legal on up to 25% of each casino floor in 2026. A casino workers’ lawsuit to end it is still in court.
- Costs on top of the room: a resort fee ($28 at Bally’s, $30 at Hard Rock, about $42 at Ocean; several casinos show theirs only at booking), 13.625% tax, $7 a night in state fees, and $10 to $40 a visit for parking unless your players’ card gets it free.
- Free: the beaches in front of the Boardwalk casinos (Atlantic City doesn’t charge for beach tags), the Boardwalk itself and walking any casino floor, plus parking and comps once you’ve earned them on a free players’ card.
- New in 2026: the Ilitch family’s companies now own all of Ocean, Caesars’ parent company agreed to be sold to Tilman Fertitta, Borgata began renovating its original tower in September, Hard Rock finished more than 700 renovated rooms, and Tropicana reopened its refurbished Solana Tower.
On this page: At a glance | All nine ranked | Boardwalk or Marina | Fees and parking | Which casino for which trip | Casino rules | Hotels without a casino | History | What’s changed | What to skip | FAQ
Atlantic City Casinos at a Glance
Here’s how the nine compare on the basics. Room counts are the state’s, from the end of June 2026; resort fees are what each hotel published as of September 2026.
| Rank | Casino | Where | Rooms | Pools | Poker room | Resort fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borgata | Marina District | 2,727 | Indoor all year, plus 21+ outdoor pools in summer | Yes, 75+ tables | $30 (latest published, 2025) |
| 2 | Ocean | Boardwalk, north end | 1,860 | Heated indoor-outdoor pool all year, plus 21+ summer pools | Unclear in 2026 | About $42 |
| 3 | Hard Rock | Boardwalk, North Beach | 1,973 | Indoor | No | $30 |
| 4 | Caesars | Boardwalk, center | 1,136 | Rooftop, summer only, 21+ | No | Shown at booking |
| 5 | Tropicana | Boardwalk, south end | 2,364 | Family indoor pool all year, plus summer pools | Yes, 18 tables | Shown at booking |
| 6 | Harrah’s | Marina District | 2,584 | Domed indoor pool plus an all-ages family pool | Yes, 28 tables | Shown at booking |
| 7 | Resorts | Boardwalk, North Beach | 942 | Indoor-outdoor under a retractable roof, all year | No | Not published |
| 8 | Golden Nugget | Marina District | 717 | Rooftop, summer only | Unclear | None listed |
| 9 | Bally’s | Boardwalk, center | 1,121 | Outdoor, summer only, 21+ | No | $28 |
The Nine Atlantic City Casinos, Ranked and Reviewed
We ranked the casinos on what a visitor actually gets for the money: how new and comfortable the rooms are, how good and how varied the restaurants are, the pools and spas, the shows, the casino floor itself, the location, and how straight each hotel is about its fees. That isn’t the same thing as the state’s revenue table, though the top of both lists looks alike. By money won from in-person gamblers in 2025, the order was Borgata ($800.8 million), Hard Rock ($550.8 million), Ocean ($468.1 million), Harrah’s, Tropicana, Caesars, Resorts, Golden Nugget and Bally’s ($133.0 million), and the top three were in the same order through August 2026. Hotel occupancy tells its own story: in the second quarter of 2026, Ocean (87.1%), Hard Rock (86.4%) and Caesars (82.2%) were the fullest hotels in town, and Golden Nugget (53.0%) and Bally’s (57.9%) the emptiest.
Every review opens with the location, the room count and a key fact or two, and ends with the practical details: the address, the fees, parking, the pools, the rewards program and who the place suits best. Nobody paid to be on this list or to move up it. Each resort will get its own full review over the coming months, and for everything beyond the casino floors (the beach, Steel Pier, Lucy the Elephant, the restaurants that aren’t in a casino), see our guide to things to do in Atlantic City.
1. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Marina District; 2,727 rooms, the most in Atlantic City; MGM Rewards. Borgata opened on July 2, 2003, as Atlantic City’s first new casino in more than a decade, and it has been the city’s biggest earner nearly ever since: it won $800.8 million from gamblers in 2025, about $250 million more than second-place Hard Rock, and it was still first through August 2026. MGM Resorts International has owned all of it since 2016. It isn’t on the Boardwalk or the beach. It stands on its own in the Marina District, a few minutes’ drive from the Boardwalk through the Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector tunnel, and it’s built for people who plan to stay inside: two hotel towers, three pool areas, a big spa, the city’s biggest poker room, two showrooms and more restaurants than some Shore towns.
The two towers are the original gold-glass Borgata Tower, with about 2,000 rooms and suites, and the 43-story MGM Tower, with more than 700 rooms, its own pools and valet, and a direct connection to Borgata (it has no casino of its own). MGM Tower is the former Water Club, so an older guide or a friend who tells you to book “the Water Club” means this building. A heads-up for fall 2026: Borgata began a $107 million renovation of the original tower on September 13, covering every room and suite, the corridors and the lobby lounge, with renovated rooms reopening floor by floor from October. Expect some construction for months, and ask which tower you’re booking.
The casino is why serious players come. Borgata’s latest published fact sheet (July 2024) counted 161,000 square feet of gaming space, 2,549 slot machines, 176 table games and a poker room with more than 75 tables, which Borgata calls the East Coast’s premier poker room. Borgata bills its gaming floor as Atlantic City’s largest; Harrah’s, down the road, says its own floor covers 175,000 square feet, and since casinos measure these things in different ways, treat every “largest” in this town loosely. Borgata also says its BetMGM Racebook, inside the poker room, is the only place in Atlantic City to bet on horse racing, and its BetMGM Sportsbook & Bar fills 8,000 square feet behind a 40-foot video wall. Smoking is allowed in designated areas, but cigars aren’t allowed within 15 feet of a table game.
The food is the deepest in town. The fine-dining rooms are Angeline by Michael Symon, American Bar & Grille, B Prime Steakhouse and Old Homestead Steak House; the casual side has The Metropolitan, Noodles (the old Noodles of the World, renamed), Bread & Butter and Borgata Baking Company. Borgata is also one of the few casinos here that still run a buffet: brunch costs $26.99 on weekdays and $33.99 on weekends, and dinner is $42.99 (prices posted in August 2026). The Food Hall Eatery below the poker room handles quick meals, with a 24-hour coffee bar. For shows, the Event Center has Gladys Knight on October 10, The Price Is Right Live on October 30 and 31 and Jerry Seinfeld on December 5, and the smaller Music Box has comics such as Brian Regan (November 6) and Patton Oswalt (November 21). What Borgata no longer has is a nightclub. Premier is gone, and the live-entertainment venue Borgata announced for its space with Boston’s Big Night hadn’t appeared on Borgata’s entertainment page by late August, so for now the late-night scene is the bars.
Plan it: 1 Borgata Way. Parking costs $10 per visit to self-park and $15 for valet (hotel guests pay once per stay), and self-parking is free for MGM Rewards Pearl members and above. The latest resort fee Borgata published was $30 a night plus tax (in 2025), waived for Gold members and above who book direct. The indoor pool in Spa Toccare is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (adults only until 9 a.m.), while the seasonal outdoor Roman-style pool and the MGM Tower pools are 21 and over. Spa Toccare has 31 treatment rooms (18 and over, with a 20% service charge added automatically). Check-in starts at 4 p.m. (5 p.m. on Sundays), you must be 21 to book, and under-18s must stay with an adult. Without a car, the AC Jitney runs out to the Marina casinos, and Route 3 of the free shuttle for train passengers stops here. Best for: gamblers, poker players, food-first trips and a big-resort weekend where you never need to leave the building.
2. Ocean Casino Resort
North end of the Boardwalk; 1,860 rooms; Ocean Rewards. Ocean is the blue-glass tower at the top of the Boardwalk, and Ocean says it’s the tallest building in Atlantic City. It started life as Revel, which closed in 2014; the empty tower reopened on June 27, 2018, as Ocean Resort Casino and took its current name in 2019. On August 3, 2026, the Ilitch family’s companies bought out their partner and took full ownership, with the state’s approval. It’s the most modern-feeling resort in the city, and the numbers back that up: Ocean says every one of its 1,860 rooms had been renovated by 2025, capping a seven-year, $270 million overhaul, and it was the fullest hotel in Atlantic City in the second quarter of 2026, at 87.1% occupancy against a citywide 73.2%.
The casino covers 135,000 square feet, with nearly 2,000 slot machines and 130 table games by Ocean’s count. A $4 million project in 2025 doubled its Asian gaming pit to 8,000 square feet and 32 tables. High rollers get The Cove, a 7,450-square-foot high-limit slot room with more than 140 machines (Ocean plans to expand it in January 2027), and The Loft, a high-limit table salon 44 stories up with ocean views. The sportsbook is Fanatics Sportsbook, inside The Gallery, a 12,000-square-foot bar and games room with a 100-foot bar and 140 feet of video walls. Poker is the one question mark: Ocean’s FAQ listed eight poker tables in March 2026, but by September it no longer mentioned them, so call before you plan a poker trip around it.
Ocean’s restaurants lean upscale. The fine-dining four are Amada, Jose Garces’s Spanish restaurant; Chez Frites, a steak-frites room from Philadelphia’s Stephen Starr that opened in summer 2025; Linguini By The Sea; and Ocean Steak. Starr’s Sunny’s does breakfast and lunch 11 stories above the ocean, and the casual list runs through Wahlburgers, Villain & Saint, Zhen Bang Noodle & Sushi, LaScala’s Fire and Harper’s, with The District Food Court for quick meals. There’s no buffet. Ovation Hall, which Ocean’s press releases describe as a 4,500-seat venue, books big comedy and music names: John Mulaney on October 23, Jon Stewart on November 6, Steve Martin and Martin Short on November 7 and Jo Koy on November 20. HQ2 is the two-level nightclub (21 and over, with an upscale dress code), and Ocean’s 18 Mini Golf & Bar, an indoor course with hologram effects that opened around the start of 2026, costs $15 for nine holes.
The spa is the other big reason to book. Exhale Spa + Bathhouse covers 40,000 square feet on the lobby level, with a jetted pool, a hot tub, a Himalayan salt grotto, saunas and steam rooms, and you don’t need a treatment to use it: bathhouse day passes cost $99 for hotel guests and $120 for everyone else (18 and over, sold in person for the same day). Ocean says Spas of America named it one of its Top 100 Spas in 2021. Next to it, the heated Eclipse pool swims through from indoors to outdoors and stays open all year, for hotel guests only: adults only from 8 to 10 a.m., everyone from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with no lifeguard, and children under 16 need an adult. Ocean’s other pools and its HQ2 Beachclub are 21-and-over summer spaces, and its beach services had closed for the season by September 24.
Plan it: 500 Boardwalk. The resort fee is confusing on paper: Ocean’s FAQ gave $34.46 a night in September 2026 but also said a fee of $42 a night is due at check-in, so budget about $42 a night plus tax and the state’s per-night fees. Parking costs $15 per visit to self-park and $20 for valet; Ocean Rewards Signature members self-park for $5, Preferred members self-park free, and Prime and Reserve members get both free. The garage has 10 EV chargers at $2 an hour. Check-in is 4 p.m. (5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays), you must be 21, and pets aren’t allowed. The Boardwalk trams start at Ocean, Route 2 of the free train shuttle stops here, and on select summer weekends Blade helicopters fly in from New York City in about 40 minutes and land on the roof. Best for: couples, spa weekends, comedy and concert trips, and anyone who wants a newly renovated room.
3. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
North Beach, on the Boardwalk; 1,973 rooms; $30 resort fee. Hard Rock took over the former Trump Taj Mahal, which had closed on October 10, 2016, in the middle of a strike, and reopened it on June 27, 2018, the same day Ocean opened up the Boardwalk. It has since become the city’s second-biggest casino by gaming win, behind only Borgata ($550.8 million in 2025), and the second-fullest hotel, at 86.4% occupancy in the second quarter of 2026. It’s a big, loud, music-themed resort on 17 acres between Virginia and Pennsylvania avenues, with Steel Pier directly across the Boardwalk, and it keeps getting better: a $50 million program in 2026 renovated more than 700 rooms, 60-plus suites and eight penthouses in the North Tower, restored the South Tower’s exterior and re-carpeted the casino. Hard Rock says it has put nearly $700 million into the property since 2018.
The casino floor, in the South Tower, has more than 2,300 slots and 130-plus table games, an Asian table-games lounge and a high-limit slot room of more than 250 machines, with denominations up to $500, that Hard Rock calls the biggest in Atlantic City. There’s no poker room; the only poker here is the house-banked kind, like Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Hard Rock Sportsbook, at the north end of the casino by Sugar Factory, has more than 40 TVs and kiosks that take bets around the clock, but its betting counter keeps short hours (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) and it takes no horse bets. Smoking is allowed only in designated areas, cigars are banned at table games and bars, and marijuana is banned everywhere on the property.
The food is a real strength. Kuro, the Japanese restaurant, won the Best Hotel Restaurant title in USA Today 10Best’s 2025 readers’ poll, according to Hard Rock, after top-three finishes in four earlier years. The lineup also includes Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, Il Mulino New York, the new Indian restaurant Sitar (which opened in July 2026, with Boardwalk views), YOUYU Noodle Bar, Sugar Factory and a 400-seat Hard Rock Cafe. For quick meals there’s a 24-hour Federal Donuts & Chicken, a White House Subs counter and The Flavor Tour, a seven-counter food court. The Fresh Harvest Buffet is open 3 to 9 p.m. on Monday and Thursday through Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday), and Saturday’s seafood buffet costs $59.99.
Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena, which Visit Atlantic City puts at about 6,200 seats, is one of the biggest concert rooms in town, and this fall it has The Doobie Brothers (October 2), Chris Tucker (October 3), Ricky Martin (October 16), Godsmack (October 23), Chicago (November 6 and 7) and Earth, Wind & Fire (December 11 and 12). The music memorabilia collection, which Hard Rock calls one of the largest in the country, is on display around the resort; its headliners are John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to “Imagine” and Elvis Presley’s own 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Hard Rock’s 2026 nightlife page lists bars rather than a nightclub: the Lobby Bar has live music every night, and The Balcony, added in 2025, is an ocean-view outdoor lounge where premium cigars are allowed.
Plan it: 1000 Boardwalk. The resort fee is $30 a night plus tax, on top of the state’s per-night fees. Parking is “at posted rates,” which Hard Rock doesn’t publish online, and the self-park garage has a low 6-foot-4-inch clearance, so check your roof height before you pull in. Free Tesla and universal chargers are on garage level 2 and at the valet, and 16 more charging ports opened at the resort’s Rocktane gas station in 2026 ($0.45 per kWh). The indoor pool is on the South Tower’s fourth level, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; check the age rule when you book, because Hard Rock’s own pages contradict each other. Rock Spa has 31 treatment rooms and a co-ed hydrotherapy pool (no one under 18). Rewards program: Unity by Hard Rock, whose points work at Hard Rock hotels, casinos and cafes worldwide. Best for: concerts, food, and a North Beach base next to Steel Pier.
4. Caesars Atlantic City
Center of the Boardwalk; 1,136 rooms, with the Nobu Hotel on top; Caesars Rewards. Caesars, open since June 26, 1979, is the Roman-themed resort in the middle of the Boardwalk at Arkansas Avenue, and it’s the best-placed casino for walking: Boardwalk Hall is about five minutes away on foot, the Convention Center is two blocks off, and Bally’s is just up the Boardwalk. Its rooms are spread over four towers (Centurion, Ocean, Forum South and Forum North), and a 2021-2023 renovation redid them along with the casino floor, the rooftop pool deck and the lobby, where the Three Graces statue now stands at the center. In January 2024 it opened the 82-room Nobu Hotel, designed by David Rockwell, on the top three floors of the Centurion Tower, with its own VIP check-in desk. Caesars was 82.2% full in the second quarter of 2026, third-best in town.
The casino covers 145,000 square feet, with more than 1,700 slot machines (Caesars was advertising 200 new ones in September 2026), table games including craps, crapless craps and midi- and mini-baccarat, and a high-limit room. There’s no poker room; Caesars sends poker players to its sister casinos, Tropicana and Harrah’s. The Caesars Sportsbook covers more than 15,000 square feet, with five private “Fan Caves” for groups of 16 to 24. It sits inside The West, Caesars’ 21-and-over Western-themed wing, which also has a saloon, the Mountain Bar, live music and DJs from 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the 24-hour Buck Wild Arcade, whose Pac-Man machine Caesars calls the world’s largest. (If you remember the old Wild Wild West casino, its web address now sends you to The West.)
Caesars is the food-and-scene choice on the Boardwalk. Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, which Caesars bills as the restaurant that brought Hell’s Kitchen to the East Coast, anchors the dining alongside Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Nobu Atlantic City and Morton’s The Steakhouse, and KWI Noodle House, Empire Slice Co., AC Snack Shack, the 24-hour Tazza Caffé and a Starbucks cover the quick end; there’s no buffet. Buddakan and The Continental, still named in older guides, aren’t on Caesars’ 2026 list. The Circus Maximus Theater has a busy fall calendar, including the 35th annual Miss’d America drag pageant on October 11 (not to be confused with Miss America, which has left Atlantic City) and Love Actually: Live in Concert on November 20 and 21. Qua Baths & Spa, on the fourth floor of the Ocean Tower, has 14 treatment rooms, three-temperature Roman baths, an herbal steam room and a cedarwood sauna, for guests 18 and over.
The catch is the pool. Caesars’ only pool is The Rooftop Pool & Bar, for registered hotel guests 21 and over, by reservation, and only from about Memorial Day to Labor Day; it was closed by late September, and there’s no family pool at all. The Caesars Beach Club, a 21-and-over bar and lounge on the sand out front, opened in June 2026 and has closed for the season. And the resort is in the middle of a corporate change: Caesars Entertainment, which runs Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana, agreed in May 2026 to be sold to Tilman Fertitta’s Fertitta Entertainment. Shareholders approved the deal on September 22, but federal regulators had asked for more information and no closing date had been set, and Caesars says its management will stay on.
Plan it: 2100 Pacific Ave. (enter this address in your GPS), facing the Boardwalk. Caesars discloses its resort fee only at booking, and Diamond and Seven Stars members may have it waived. The self-park garage and the valet both run 24 hours (garage clearance 7 feet 6 inches), but no rates are posted online; Caesars Rewards Platinum members and above park free, and earning 10 Tier Credits gets you a free-parking voucher from a rewards kiosk. There are no EV chargers here; Caesars points drivers to Tropicana’s Havana Tower garage. Rewards program: Caesars Rewards, shared with Harrah’s and Tropicana, with a free shuttle between the three for Platinum members and above. Smoking is limited to designated sections of the casino floor. Best for: couples, food lovers and anyone who wants to walk everywhere.
5. Tropicana Atlantic City
South end of the Boardwalk; 2,364 rooms in five towers; Caesars Rewards. The Tropicana, open since November 26, 1981, is a city within the city at Brighton Avenue, and with 2,364 rooms by the state’s count it’s the third-biggest hotel in Atlantic City. The rooms are spread over five towers (North, South, Havana, Solana and Chelsea) that were renovated one at a time: the North Tower in 2014-15, Havana in 2016, South in 2018 and, most recently, the Solana Tower in the west wing, whose 598 refurbished rooms reopened in February 2026. Because it’s so big, it runs emptier than most of its neighbors (65.2% occupancy in the second quarter of 2026), which can work in your favor when the smaller hotels are sold out.
The heart of the place is The Quarter, a 200,000-square-foot indoor street done up as Old Havana, with restaurants, bars, shops, about 13 nightlife spots and an IMAX theater that Tropicana says is the only one at an Atlantic City casino. The 2,000-seat Tropicana Showroom has Alice Cooper on Halloween, Babyface on November 6 and A Magical Cirque Christmas on November 28, and the Atlantic City Comedy Club in The Quarter runs shows most nights (strictly 21 and over). After dark, Boogie Nights is the ’70s-’80s-’90s dance club, Kiss Kiss is the dressier nightclub (no athletic wear or work boots), and Anthem keeps its DJs going until 5 a.m. on weekends. In summer, Tropicana also puts on fireworks over the beach; the 2026 shows ran from July 4 to September 5.
Tropicana counts more than 25 places to eat: The Palm, Carmine’s, il Verdi, Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, Ossu Asian Tavern, P.F. Chang’s, Hash House A Go Go, Wild Honey Smokehouse and Tavern, Casa Taco & Tequila Bar, Broadway Burger Bar and a Gilchrist for breakfast, among others, plus a 24-hour market; there’s no buffet. Chickie’s and Pete’s, a two-story, 16,000-square-foot sports bar, sits beside the Caesars Sportsbook on the North Tower casino floor; the sportsbook has 180 seats and a 250-square-foot odds board. Tropicana is also where Boardwalk poker players go: its 18-table, non-smoking poker room, open 24 hours on weekends, is by Tropicana’s description Atlantic City’s longest-running and the only poker room on the Boardwalk, and two hours of play in a day earns a free self-parking voucher. The casino has more than 1,600 slots, a high-limit slot area off Palm Walk and an Asian games room, Jade Palace.
For families, Tropicana is one of the better Boardwalk picks, mostly because of the pool. The heated South Tower indoor pool, on the sixth floor, is family-friendly and open all year (Thursday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in September 2026). The outdoor Blue Parrot pool opens in summer, and the rooftop Pool at Chelsea is 21 and over. Zen Spa, in The Quarter, is new (older listings still name a Bluemercury spa), and the two-level Tilton Fitness gym is 21 and over. Add the IMAX, the food choices and the covered walk through The Quarter, and it’s the resort that handles a rainy day best.
Plan it: 2831 Boardwalk, at Brighton Avenue; Boardwalk Hall is a 10-15 minute walk and Steel Pier about 15-20. The resort fee is disclosed only at booking (Diamond and Seven Stars members may get it waived). The self-park garage is open 24 hours (6-foot-6-inch clearance), the South Tower valet runs around the clock and the Havana Tower valet runs on weekends; no rates are posted online, Caesars Rewards Platinum members and above park free, and the EV chargers are in the Havana Tower garage. Rideshares, taxis and the free Caesars Rewards shuttle to Caesars and Harrah’s use the Transportation Center in the Solana Tower. Smoking is limited to designated sections of the casino floor. Best for: groups who want everything under one roof, poker players, and families on a rainy day.
6. Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City
Marina District; 2,584 rooms in five towers; Caesars Rewards. Harrah’s, open since November 23, 1980, is the Caesars company’s Marina resort, on the bay overlooking Absecon Inlet and the state marina, and with 2,584 rooms it’s the second-biggest hotel in Atlantic City after Borgata. It’s about 2 miles from the Boardwalk, an 8-10 minute drive by Harrah’s reckoning, which is the whole trade-off: you give up the beach and the Boardwalk for a big self-contained resort, a quieter setting and one of the best pools in the city. All five hotel towers (Coastal, Atrium, Laguna, Bayview and Waterfront) were renovated between 2019 and 2022, and the Waterfront Tower’s Spa Suites have whirlpool tubs and marina views.
The pool is the headline. The Pool at Harrah’s is an 86,000-gallon indoor pool under a glass dome, kept at 82 degrees all year, with daybeds, cabanas and a 20-person bungalow for rent. On Friday and Saturday nights it turns into The Pool After Dark, a 21-and-over nightclub from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. (cover was $20 on Fridays and $30 on Saturdays in September 2026). Harrah’s own pages disagree about the daytime age rules for the dome pool, so families should plan on the Coral Reef Family Pool instead: an all-ages pool on the fourth floor of the Coastal Tower, with indoor and outdoor sun decks, listed for Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (the FAQ says daily), and $10 for people who aren’t staying at the hotel. The Spa at Harrah’s, next to the pool, has a steam room, a sauna and a fireside hot tub (18 and over).
Harrah’s calls its restaurants Atlantic City’s densest celebrity-chef cluster, and it’s hard to argue: Gordon Ramsay Steak (opened in 2022), Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! and Buddy Valastro’s Buddy’s Boardwalk Empire, plus McCormick & Schmick’s, La Strada at the Shore, Coastal Craft Kitchen & Bar, a Noodle Bar, AC Burger Co. & Deli, Pin-up Pizza, a Starbucks and the 24-hour Café Tazza. There’s no buffet or food hall. The Arcade at Harrah’s, a 5,328-square-foot all-ages arcade with more than 60 oversized games, is next to Bobby’s Burgers, and The Concert Venue at Harrah’s has Nurse Blake on October 10 and Whose Live Anyway? on October 24. Harrah’s also has what it calls the East Coast’s largest casino conference center, 100,000 square feet without pillars, which is why you’ll share the elevators with lanyards on weekdays.
The casino covers 175,000 square feet by Harrah’s count, with about 100 table games, more than 1,800 slot machines and a high-limit slot area. Poker players do well here: the 28-table, non-smoking poker room, which Harrah’s bills as the Atlantic City home of World Series of Poker Circuit events, runs daily tournaments. The Caesars Sportsbook is a 3,800-square-foot lounge next to McCormick & Schmick’s with two private Fan Caves for up to 10 people each. Smoking is allowed only in designated casino sections and in the VooDoo Lounge; the poker room, restaurants, pool, spa and conference center are smoke-free.
Plan it: 777 Harrah’s Blvd. Harrah’s charges a nightly resort fee, disclosed at booking, that covers Wi-Fi for two devices, gym entry for two, local calls and a $5 self-parking voucher per stay (Diamond and Seven Stars members don’t pay it). Self-parking costs $15 from Monday afternoon to Friday afternoon and $20 over the weekend, and valet is $25 Monday to Thursday and $40 Friday to Sunday; Platinum members self-park free. Harrah’s also takes dogs, which Borgata, Ocean and Golden Nugget don’t: up to two in its PetStay rooms (50 pounds combined) for $75 a night plus tax, with a dog park by the Brigantine entrance. Check-in is 4 p.m. and you must be 21. Without a car, the Caesars Rewards shuttle runs Thursday to Monday to Caesars and Tropicana on the Boardwalk (free for Platinum members and above), the $3 AC Jitney connects it with Pacific Avenue, and Route 3 of the free train shuttle stops here. Best for: poker players, pool lovers, conventions, dog owners and anyone happy to drive to the Boardwalk.
7. Resorts Casino Hotel
North Beach, on the Boardwalk; 942 rooms; Star Card. Resorts opened on May 26, 1978, as the first casino in Atlantic City, and it bills itself as the first American casino outside Nevada. Its Ocean Tower is the 1927 Haddon Hall hotel, with 480 rooms, and the newer Rendezvous Tower, opened in 2004, adds 42 big suites of about 1,100 square feet; Resorts says its rooms are the largest on the Boardwalk, and its Rendezvous Tower standard rooms run 512 to 576 square feet. The casino covers 80,000 square feet, small by Atlantic City standards. Its licensee is DGMB Casino, and Resorts says casino executive Dennis Gomes and New York real-estate investor Morris Bailey bought the place in 2010. It’s one of the more old-fashioned casinos here, in a good way: the scale is manageable, the Boardwalk entrance is right there, and the hotel was 72.2% full in the second quarter of 2026, mid-pack for the city.
The best reason to stay is the pool: a heated saltwater indoor-outdoor pool on the third floor of the Ocean Tower, under a retractable glass roof, open all year with a poolside tiki bar. In August 2025 it ran a family swim in the morning and early afternoon and an adults-only swim after 2 p.m., and Resorts says no other property in the area has a roof like it. The other reason is the beach. Resorts’ Margaritaville complex, a $35 million project run by a separate licensee, includes a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant and LandShark Bar & Grill on the sand, which Resorts calls the city’s only year-round beach bar and its largest. A 2025 expansion added a tiki bar, a second beach bar and deck, private cabanas and a beach stage with a dance floor, and LandShark stays open until 10 p.m. most nights and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
For dinner, Capriccio, the Italian restaurant, is the pick; Resorts says USA Today 10Best readers voted it a top-ten U.S. casino restaurant in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and since summer 2026 it has served a Sunday brunch (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) with $15 bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys when you order an entree. Dougherty’s Steakhouse & Raw Bar, from the family behind Dock’s Oyster House, is the steakhouse (Gallagher’s, which older listings still mention, isn’t on the 2026 list), and EastWind, Mukashi Sushi & Raw Bar, Cielo Wine Bar, Breadsticks Cafe and Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! round out the list. There’s no buffet; the Quick Bites food court on the casino floor has Dunkin’, Ruby’s Dinette, Bubbakoo’s Burritos, Famiglia Pizza and Häagen-Dazs. The AC Jokes comedy club runs its flagship room here, in the Starlight Ballroom, with tickets from $25 and no drink minimum. The DraftKings Sportsbook has been open since 2018, but there’s no poker room.
Plan it: 1133 Boardwalk, at North Carolina Avenue, a short walk from Steel Pier. Parking is cashless: you register your license plate and prepay online or with an on-site QR code, and it’s free for Star Card members at the Epic tier and above (Premiere members get a discount). Resorts charges a nightly resort fee plus the state’s per-night fees but doesn’t publish the amount online, so check the total before you book. Smoking is allowed in certain areas of the casino floor and in a limited number of smoking rooms; smoking or vaping in a non-smoking room brings a $500 fine, and cigars aren’t allowed within 15 feet of live table games or casino bars. Rewards program: the Star Card. Best for: a year-round pool, beach-bar afternoons, comedy nights and a slice of casino history.
8. Golden Nugget Atlantic City
Marina District, on the bay; 717 rooms, the fewest in town; 24K Select Club. Golden Nugget, which brands itself the Golden Nugget Casino, Hotel & Marina, is the small, quiet one. It occupies the former Trump Marina, which opened in 1985 as Trump Castle, and it belongs to Tilman Fertitta’s Landry’s (the state lists Fertitta Entertainment as the parent). It sits on the bay side of the Marina District next to the Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina, which Golden Nugget manages: 630 floating slips, room for boats up to 300 feet and a 24-hour fuel dock. Golden Nugget itself sells “a relaxing marina setting away from the bustle of the Boardwalk,” and that’s the honest pitch. It’s also the city’s emptiest casino hotel (53.0% occupancy in the second quarter of 2026) and its second-smallest casino by gaming win, which cuts both ways: easy reservations and a quieter casino floor, but less going on.
The rooms are a mix of old and new. A multi-million-dollar renovation began in February 2024, and Golden Nugget now sells renovated “Premier” rooms and suites, with glass walk-in showers and 55-inch TVs, alongside older “Luxury” rooms, so book the Premier category if you want the new look. Golden Nugget promotes a AAA Four Diamond rating for the hotel. In summer, the H2O Pool on the sixth-floor roof is a proper pool deck, with hot tubs, fire pits, 14 cabanas, 13 daybeds and more than 300 loungers, free for hotel guests (everyone must be 16 or older after 2 p.m.), but it’s seasonal, so ask the hotel about an indoor pool. The Spa & Salon opens Thursday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and sells $40 spa day passes (18 and over).
The restaurants are Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse, which Golden Nugget calls one of America’s top ten steakhouses, plus Chart House, Dos Caminos, Lillie’s Asian Cuisine, Michael Patrick’s Brasserie, Bill’s Bar & Burger and Bean & Bread, with the seasonal H2O Bar & Grille and The Deck, a bayfront bar and restaurant, in summer. Several restaurants open only some days of the week, so check before you plan a dinner around one. The casino’s table games include single-zero roulette, which gives players better odds than the usual double-zero wheel, along with blackjack, craps, mini-baccarat and a High Limit Tables Room, and in summer there are outdoor tables at H2O and The Deck. The Sportsbook, which reopened with new betting technology in January 2025, has more than 50 TVs and won’t take bets on the Houston Rockets because of Golden Nugget’s ties to the team.
Golden Nugget publishes less than its neighbors do, so a few basics come with an asterisk. Ask about its poker room (its 2024 materials mentioned one, its 2025 pages don’t), the size of the casino, its smoking policy and whether it charges a resort fee: its FAQ and hotel pages mention none, but that’s not the same as a promise. And its longtime general manager, Tom Pohlman, who left in May 2026, was named president of Bally’s in August.
Plan it: Huron Avenue and Brigantine Boulevard. Golden Nugget’s own pages have long advertised free self-parking every day and 24-hour valet (its March 2025 parking page listed valet at $10 Monday to Thursday and $15 Friday to Sunday, subject to change); confirm the 2026 rates when you arrive. Check-in starts at 4 p.m. (not guaranteed), you must be 21, a $100 deposit goes on your card, and pets, outside alcohol and coolers aren’t allowed. Rewards program: the 24K Select Club, whose Comp Dollars also work at more than 600 Landry’s restaurants around the country, and where slot play earns Cash Back rather than points. Without a car, the AC Jitney and Route 3 of the free train shuttle both run out here. Best for: boaters, quiet weekends, Landry’s loyalists and anyone who wants a summer pool deck without the Boardwalk crowds.
9. Bally’s Atlantic City
Park Place, center of the Boardwalk; 1,121 rooms; $28 resort fee. Bally’s, open since December 29, 1979, has the Monopoly-board address, Park Place and the Boardwalk, and a location as central as Caesars’, but it’s the city’s smallest casino by gaming win: last of the nine in 2025 ($133.0 million) and again through August 2026, with the second-lowest hotel occupancy (57.9% in the second quarter). Caesars agreed in 2020 to sell it, for $25 million, to the company that became Bally’s Corporation, so Caesars Rewards doesn’t work here even though Caesars is a short walk away. Bally’s Corporation has said it will keep the casino open while it builds a casino in New York City, and in August 2026 it named a new president, Tom Pohlman, who had run Golden Nugget for 15 years. Whether that changes much for visitors remains to be seen.
The hotel has two towers, Bally’s Tower and the Dennis Tower, with 112 corner junior suites and 16 penthouse-style suites on floors 45 to 48 that are booked through a casino host. The casino covers 83,000 square feet, with more than 1,100 slots, 80-plus table games and a high-limit room overlooking the floor, but no poker room. Bally Bet Sportsbook has a 25-foot video wall flanked by two 10-foot walls, three staffed windows and eight kiosks. Smoking is allowed in designated sections of the casino floor and in designated smoking rooms, and Bally’s advertises no smoke-free gaming area.
What Bally’s does well is fun. Phil’s Carousel Bar is a 24-seat rotating bar, open around the clock, that Visit Atlantic City calls the first of its kind in New Jersey, and its cocktails lean on Atlantic City flavors like saltwater taffy and funnel cake. The Yard, in Bally’s courtyard steps off the Boardwalk, is a seasonal beer garden with a gastropub menu, 1990s arcade games, indoor and outdoor stages and a retractable roof. The Beach Bar on the sand closed for the 2026 season and returns next summer. Park Place Prime, a steakhouse that opened in 2025 and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, is the main restaurant, alongside Macau Kitchen, Johnny Rockets, Carluccio’s Pizza, Sack O’ Subs and a Dunkin’. There’s no public buffet (the Legacy Lounge buffet is only for top-tier rewards members). The Claridge hotel next door connects to the casino through its second floor, which makes Bally’s the obvious casino for Claridge guests.
Plan it: 1900 Pacific Ave., at Park Place and the Boardwalk, a few blocks from Boardwalk Hall and the Convention Center. The resort fee is $28 a night, plus a $3 state occupancy fee, a $2 Atlantic City tourism fee, a $2 state hotel fee and 13.625% tax, and Bally’s is refreshingly upfront about all of it on its FAQ page. Self-parking costs $10 to $25, and it’s free for Bally Rewards Star members and above, and anyone else parks free for the day once they earn 10 Bally Bucks, spend $50 in a restaurant or place a $50 sports bet; valet runs on weekends (check the days with the hotel). The pool is seasonal and adults-only (21 and over), with no lifeguard, and the spa opens Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rewards program: Bally Rewards, which Bally’s says doesn’t yet work at its other casinos; 200 Bally Bucks equal $1 in free slot play. Best for: a central base, bar-hopping on the Boardwalk, and anyone who wants the Park Place address.
Boardwalk or Marina: Where to Stay in Atlantic City
The first decision isn’t which casino. It’s which part of town, because Atlantic City’s casinos fall into two groups about 2 miles apart, and they make for very different trips.
The Boardwalk six
From north to south, the Boardwalk casinos are Ocean, Hard Rock, Resorts, Bally’s, Caesars and Tropicana, with the non-casino Showboat and Claridge hotels in between. Staying here means the beach is outside the door and free (Atlantic City doesn’t sell beach tags), and Steel Pier, Boardwalk Hall, the Convention Center and dozens of bars and restaurants are a walk or a short tram ride away. The Boardwalk Trams run between Ocean and Albany Avenue, and you can wave one down anywhere: $5 one way for adults, $3 for children 12 and under, or $13 and $7 for a day pass. The Boardwalk casinos also cover a wide range of ages, from Resorts’ 1927 Ocean Tower to Ocean’s rooms, all renovated by 2025, so check which tower and room category you’re booking.
The trade-offs are crowds on summer weekends and the city streets behind the casinos, which are a lot less polished than the lobbies. At night, stay on the Boardwalk, in and around the casinos and on the busy, well-lit stretches of the main avenues; the AC Jitney runs all night along Pacific Avenue, so there’s rarely a reason to walk long distances in the dark. Pick the Boardwalk if you want the beach, if you’re coming without a car, or if you plan to hop between casinos, shows and restaurants on foot. Within the strip, Caesars and Bally’s are the most central, Hard Rock and Resorts sit closest to Steel Pier, and Ocean and Tropicana anchor the two ends.
The Marina three
Borgata, Harrah’s and Golden Nugget sit on the bay side of the island in the Marina District, next to the state marina, about 2 miles from the Boardwalk (Harrah’s calls it an 8-10 minute drive). Drivers reach them straight off the Atlantic City Expressway through the Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector and its tunnel, so you can arrive and park without driving through downtown. What you give up is the beach and the Boardwalk. Without a car you’ll rely on the $3 AC Jitney, a rideshare or taxi, or, if you hold Caesars Rewards Platinum or better, the free shuttle from Harrah’s to Caesars and Tropicana. The Marina resorts suit gamblers, poker players, convention-goers and couples who want a big resort weekend under one roof. They’re the wrong choice for a beach vacation.
Getting to the casinos
By car, every casino is about 2 hours 40 minutes from Times Square and 1 hour 20 minutes from Philadelphia City Hall in light traffic, by our routing estimates. The last stretch is usually the Atlantic City Expressway, which went cashless on January 4, 2026: you pay by E-ZPass or by a toll-by-plate bill at about double the rate, and there are no cash booths. By train, NJ Transit’s Atlantic City Rail Line runs from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station to the Atlantic City Rail Terminal next to the Convention Center, and a free AC Jitney shuttle meets the trains, for rail passengers only: Route 1 serves the Claridge, Bally’s, Caesars and Tropicana; Route 2 serves Resorts, Hard Rock, the Showboat and Ocean; and Route 3 serves Borgata, Harrah’s and Golden Nugget. The AC Jitney no longer goes to Atlantic City International Airport; taxis and rideshares pick up at the terminal curb. If you’re pairing a casino stay with other beach towns, our guide to the Jersey Shore covers the rest of the coast, from Sandy Hook to Cape May.
What a Casino Hotel Room Really Costs: Resort Fees, Taxes and Parking
The nightly rate you see first is never the whole bill at an Atlantic City casino hotel. Four things get added to it:
- A resort fee, charged every night whether or not you use the Wi-Fi, gym and pool it covers. Bally’s charges $28 and Hard Rock $30 plus tax; Ocean’s FAQ says about $42 is due at check-in; and Borgata’s last published figure was $30 plus tax, in 2025. Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana show theirs only when you book, and Resorts doesn’t publish an amount at all. Top-tier players can get it waived: MGM Rewards Gold members and above at Borgata when they book direct, and Caesars Rewards Diamond and Seven Stars members at the three Caesars casinos.
- 13.625% tax on the room: a 9% Atlantic City luxury tax, 3.625% sales tax and a 1% state occupancy fee.
- $7 a night in state fees: a $3 casino room fee, a $2 tourism promotion fee and a $2 casino hotel occupancy surcharge. The state charges them for every occupied room, comped ones included, so ask what a “free” room will actually cost you before you accept it.
- Parking, charged per visit or per stay unless your players’ card makes it free.
Put together, a two-night weekend at a hotel with a $30 resort fee carries $60 in resort fees and $14 in state fees before tax, on top of the room rate. The resort fee is the one to watch, because it doesn’t shrink on the cheap midweek nights. If you’re curious where the money goes: $1 of each $3 casino room fee goes to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the $2 surcharge pays for public safety in Atlantic City, the $2 tourism fee supports Meet AC, the city’s convention-marketing agency, and the luxury tax helps run the Convention Center and Boardwalk Hall. The state also levies a $3-a-day fee on casino parking, most of which goes to the same development authority.
Parking is where a players’ card pays off fastest. Here’s what each casino charged or published as of September 2026:
| Casino | Self-parking | Valet | Who parks free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borgata | $10 per visit (once per stay for hotel guests) | $15 per visit | MGM Rewards Pearl and up (self-parking); Gold and up (valet) |
| Ocean | $15 per visit | $20 per visit | Ocean Rewards Preferred (self-parking), Prime and Reserve (both); Signature members self-park for $5 |
| Hard Rock | “Posted rates,” not published online | “Posted rates,” not published online | Not published |
| Caesars | Not posted online | Not posted online | Caesars Rewards Platinum and up; a voucher after earning 10 Tier Credits |
| Tropicana | Not posted online | Not posted online | Caesars Rewards Platinum and up; a self-parking voucher for two hours of poker in a day |
| Harrah’s | $15 weekdays, $20 from Friday 4 p.m. to Monday 4 p.m. | $25 Monday-Thursday, $40 Friday-Sunday | Platinum (self-parking); Diamond and Seven Stars (both) |
| Resorts | Prepay by license plate; rates not published online | Available | Star Card Epic and up (Premiere members get a discount) |
| Golden Nugget | Free, according to its 2025 pages | $10 Monday-Thursday, $15 Friday-Sunday (March 2025) | Everyone, for self-parking |
| Bally’s | $10 to $25 | Weekends | Bally Rewards Star and up; anyone who earns 10 Bally Bucks, spends $50 on dining or bets $50 at the sportsbook that day |
The single best money-saving move is to sign up for the players’ card before you park. It’s free, you must be 21, and the thresholds are low: at Bally’s, a $50 dinner makes that day’s parking free, and at Caesars, 10 Tier Credits of play prints you a parking voucher. The non-casino hotels charge by the night: the Showboat lists $25 to self-park and $32 for valet, The Claridge $25 and $35 plus tax, and the Seahaus $30 a day with in-and-out privileges.
Which Casino for Which Trip
The ranking above is for an all-round weekend. If you already know what kind of trip you’re planning, here’s the short list, and it doesn’t always match the ranking.
- A first trip, with the classic Boardwalk: Caesars puts you in the middle of everything, and Hard Rock puts you across from Steel Pier, with its own concert arena. Either way, you can walk to the beach, the shows and dinner.
- Serious gambling and poker: Borgata, with a poker room of more than 75 tables and a horse-racing book, then Harrah’s (28 non-smoking tables and World Series of Poker Circuit events) and Tropicana (18 non-smoking tables, the only poker room on the Boardwalk by its own account).
- A food-first weekend: Borgata for depth (four fine-dining rooms and a buffet), Hard Rock for Kuro and the new Indian restaurant Sitar, and Caesars for Hell’s Kitchen and Nobu.
- A spa weekend: Ocean’s Exhale Spa + Bathhouse, 40,000 square feet with day passes from $99 for hotel guests, is the standout; Borgata’s Spa Toccare and the Roman baths at Caesars’ Qua are the runners-up.
- Families: Tropicana (a year-round family pool, an IMAX and a covered indoor street of restaurants), Harrah’s (an all-ages family pool and a big arcade) and Resorts (family swim hours in its year-round pool). Outside the casinos, the Showboat hotel’s Island Waterpark is the city’s big indoor kid magnet.
- Concerts and comedy: Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena, Ocean’s Ovation Hall, Borgata’s Event Center and Music Box, the Tropicana Showroom and the comedy clubs at Tropicana and Resorts.
- Beach bars: Resorts’ LandShark Bar & Grill stays open all year; the Caesars Beach Club and Ocean’s HQ2 Beachclub are 21-and-over summer spots.
- No car: any Boardwalk casino. Take the train from Philadelphia and the free shuttle, and use the trams and the 24-hour Jitney after that.
- Traveling with a dog: Harrah’s PetStay rooms, or the non-casino Showboat (dogs up to 25 pounds) and Seahaus (under 50 pounds).
- Boaters and quiet weekends: Golden Nugget, which runs the 630-slip state marina next door.
- Avoiding smoke: most casinos here allow smoking on part of their floors. The poker rooms at Tropicana and Harrah’s are non-smoking, as are restaurants and most indoor spaces, and The Claridge is an entirely non-smoking hotel with Bally’s casino next door.
Pools compared
Pools are where the casinos differ most, and several are for adults or hotel guests only. Here’s what each one listed in September 2026:
| Casino | Indoor or all-year pool | Summer pools | Age rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borgata | Indoor Pool & Gardens in Spa Toccare, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Roman-style outdoor pool; two indoor and two outdoor pools at MGM Tower | Hotel guests; indoor pool adults only 7-9 a.m.; outdoor and MGM Tower pools 21+ |
| Ocean | Eclipse heated indoor-outdoor pool, all year | Boardwalk Pool, The Cabanas, HQ2 Beachclub | Hotel guests; adults only 8-10 a.m.; summer spaces 21+ |
| Hard Rock | Indoor pool, South Tower fourth level | Sundeck (closed for the season in September) | Hard Rock’s pages contradict each other; ask |
| Caesars | None | Rooftop Pool & Bar, about Memorial Day to Labor Day | Hotel guests 21+, by reservation |
| Tropicana | South Tower indoor pool, all year | Blue Parrot outdoor pool; rooftop Pool at Chelsea | Indoor pool family-friendly; Chelsea 21+ |
| Harrah’s | The Pool, under a glass dome at 82 degrees; Coral Reef Family Pool | Coral Reef’s outdoor sun deck | Family pool all ages; dome pool rules conflict on Harrah’s pages |
| Resorts | Saltwater indoor-outdoor pool under a retractable roof, all year | Same pool (indoor-outdoor) | Family and adults-only swim times |
| Golden Nugget | None found | H2O rooftop pool deck | 16+ after 2 p.m. |
| Bally’s | None | Outdoor pool | 21+ |
If an indoor pool matters, stay at Resorts, Tropicana, Harrah’s, Ocean, Borgata or Hard Rock, and check the age rules for your dates; the non-casino Claridge also has an indoor heated pool. Caesars, Bally’s and Golden Nugget have summer pools only.
Atlantic City Casino Rules: Age, Smoking, Drinks and Money
The rules on an Atlantic City casino floor are set by state law and enforced by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, and a few of them surprise first-timers every weekend.
You must be 21
Under the Casino Control Act, nobody under 21 may gamble in an Atlantic City casino or even stay on the casino floor; people under 21 may only walk through on their way to somewhere else. It’s been 21 since April 1983, when New Jersey raised the gambling age from 18 to match the drinking age. Sports betting and the casinos’ horse-race simulcast areas are 21 and over too. An underage gambler commits a disorderly persons offense (a fine of $500 to $1,000 under the Act as it reads today), and so does an adult who knowingly lets a minor gamble. Casinos can ask for ID at any time, and Borgata, Bally’s and Hard Rock also require the person checking into the hotel to be 21.
Children are welcome in the non-gaming parts of the resorts, like the restaurants, pools and shows (within each venue’s age rules), but they can only pass through the gaming floor, not stop on it. If you’re traveling with kids, a resort where the pool, food court and garage don’t route you through the casino makes life easier.
Smoking is still allowed
New Jersey’s indoor smoking ban exempts casino floors, and under a 2007 Atlantic City ordinance casinos can set aside up to 25% of the gaming floor for smokers, with no walls required between smoking and non-smoking sections. Casino workers have been fighting that in court since 2024: an appeals panel revived their lawsuit in January 2026, and no ruling had been reported by late September. Bills to end the exemption keep being introduced but hadn’t moved out of committee as of April 2026, and the casino owners and the main casino workers’ union oppose a ban. Until something changes, expect to smell smoke on most casino floors.
The details vary by property. Borgata bans cigars within 15 feet of any table game, Hard Rock keeps cigars away from table games and bars, and Tropicana’s poker room is non-smoking. Restaurants and most other indoor areas are smoke-free, and Borgata and Hard Rock ban marijuana use on their property, hotel rooms included, even though it’s legal in New Jersey.
Free drinks, sort of
New Jersey law lets casinos give free drinks to players on the casino floor, but only on request: a server can ask if you want something, and nothing arrives unless you say yes. None of the casinos promises free drinks on its website, so treat them as a courtesy to active players rather than a right, and tip the server. Casinos can’t sell unlimited drinks for a flat price except on New Year’s Eve and at a handful of state-approved special events, and staff can refuse to serve, deal to or take a bet from anyone who looks drunk.
Players’ cards and comps
Sign up for the players’ club at every casino you gamble in; you must be 21, and without a card your play earns nothing. You put the card in a slot machine, or hand it to the dealer at a table game, and you earn points based on how much and how long you play. Those points turn into free play, meals, hotel rooms and, very usefully in Atlantic City, free parking.
| Rewards program | Where it works in Atlantic City | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Caesars Rewards | Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana | Shared by all three, with a free shuttle between them for members and 50-plus Caesars destinations elsewhere |
| MGM Rewards | Borgata only | Links to MGM’s Las Vegas resorts; Gold members and above have Borgata’s resort fee waived when booking direct |
| Unity by Hard Rock | Hard Rock | Points work at Hard Rock hotels, casinos and cafes worldwide |
| Ocean Rewards | Ocean Casino Resort | Comp dollars cover dining, the spa, rooms and show tickets |
| Bally Rewards | Bally’s | Bally’s says the card doesn’t yet work at its other casinos |
| Star Card | Resorts | Free parking starts at the Epic tier |
| 24K Select Club | Golden Nugget | Comp dollars also work at Landry’s restaurants around the country |
Cash, slot tickets and big wins
- Slot machines pay in printed tickets, not coins. Cash them at a kiosk or the cashier, or put them into another machine. Every machine is tested by the state’s lab to pay back at least 83% of what’s played, and in practice Atlantic City’s slots returned about 90.7% of the $22.6 billion wagered in 2024. The house still wins; that’s the business model.
- Bring ID for a jackpot. From 2026, a slot win of $2,000 or more (up from $1,200) triggers an IRS Form W-2G, and you’ll need two forms of identification, one with a photo, to collect it. Some casino pages still show the old $1,200 figure.
- Cash advances are paperwork. Getting cash on a card at the casino cage takes government photo ID and a thumbprint, and above $2,000 the casino takes your photo too. Casinos may also sell you chips at the table on a credit or debit card, if they post which cards they accept.
- The casinos never close. They’ve been open 24 hours a day, year-round, since 1992.
- No dress code on the floor. Ocean says tanks, T-shirts and tuxedos are all welcome at its tables; nightclubs are the exception.
If gambling stops being fun
New Jersey’s problem-gambling helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537), run again since September 2025 by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey; it offers phone, chat and in-person help. The state also runs a self-exclusion program that bars you from every Atlantic City casino, New Jersey sportsbooks and online gambling for one year, five years or life; you sign up in person or by video call (1-833-788-4DGE for an appointment), and if you’re caught gambling while on the list, you forfeit your winnings. If a casino doesn’t resolve a complaint, the Division of Gaming Enforcement takes them at every casino’s security podium, by email at [email protected] or on 609-984-0909.
Atlantic City Hotels Without a Casino
The nine casino resorts hold most of Atlantic City’s hotel rooms, but not all of them, and a non-casino hotel can be the better choice if you’re here for the beach, a convention or a family weekend. Two traps first: the Showboat and The Claridge both look like casino hotels, and neither has a casino.
- Showboat Hotel (801 Boardwalk): the former casino at the north end of the Boardwalk is now a hotel without a gaming floor, owned by developer Bart Blatstein since 2016, and it bills itself as Atlantic City’s only year-round family resort. The draw is what’s inside: the Island Waterpark and the Lucky Snake arcade. In summer 2026 it renovated two floors of its New Orleans Tower. It has no hotel pool of its own (guests use the water park) and no room service, it allows small dogs for a fee, and its FAQ lists parking at $25 a night to self-park and $32 for valet. Its own website and Visit Atlantic City disagree on the room count (477 or 872), so confirm it with the hotel.
- The Claridge (Boardwalk at Park Place): a 24-story tower from 1930, once called “The Skyscraper by the Sea,” with about 480 rooms, an indoor heated pool, an Italian restaurant and the VUE Rooftop Bar on the 23rd floor. It’s no longer tied to any casino, but it connects to Bally’s through the second floor, so the slots are a short walk away. It’s entirely non-smoking, and its FAQ lists an $18 nightly resort fee plus a $1 destination fee, with parking at $25 to self-park or $35 for valet.
- The Seahaus Hotel (110 S. Morris Ave.): one of Atlantic City’s newest hotels, opened on the Boardwalk in 2025 as part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, with 105 rooms, a coastal Italian restaurant called Cucina Del Mar and a bakery-cafe. Parking is $30 a day with in-and-out privileges, and pets under 50 pounds are welcome.
- Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel (2 Convention Blvd.): the Marriott-branded hotel serving the Atlantic City Convention Center, which connects to the rail terminal; Visit Atlantic City lists 502 smoke-free rooms. It’s the natural pick for a convention or a trip by train from Philadelphia.
- Inside the casino resorts: the Nobu Hotel, 82 rooms designed by David Rockwell on the top three floors of Caesars’ Centurion Tower, opened in January 2024 with its own VIP check-in desk. At Resorts, the $35 million Margaritaville complex isn’t a separate hotel, but it adds Jimmy Buffett-themed restaurants and LandShark, which Resorts calls the city’s only year-round beach bar.
Wherever you stay, the same 13.625% tax applies to the room, and casino hotels add per-night state fees and resort fees on top. Our guides to the best hotels, the cheapest hotels and the hotels right on the Boardwalk will go deeper as they’re published.
How Atlantic City’s Casinos Got Here
Casino gambling came to Atlantic City by referendum. New Jersey voters rejected casinos statewide in 1974, then approved them for Atlantic City alone on November 2, 1976, with the promise that they’d revive the fading resort and pay for programs for seniors and people with disabilities (the state’s 8% tax on casino winnings still goes to that fund). Resorts International opened the first casino on May 26, 1978, in the former Haddon Hall hotel, and Caesars, Bally’s, Harrah’s, Tropicana and a string of others followed within a few years. The casinos have been open around the clock since 1992.
The peak came in 2006, when Atlantic City’s casinos won $5.2 billion; then casinos opened in Pennsylvania, New York and the rest of the region, and the slide was steep. Borgata, the first new casino in years when it opened in July 2003, became the city’s top earner and still is. But 2014 was the worst year: the city started it with 12 casinos and lost four (the Atlantic Club, the Showboat, Revel and Trump Plaza), and the Trump Taj Mahal closed in October 2016 during a long strike. On June 27, 2018, two of those empty towers reopened on the same day, the Taj as Hard Rock and Revel as Ocean, taking the count back to nine. Trump Plaza’s tower was imploded on February 17, 2021.
Today the nine casinos are stable but not booming. They won $2.89 billion from in-person gambling in 2025, up 2.7%, and hotel occupancy ran 73.2% in the second quarter of 2026. The bigger change is online: New Jersey’s internet casinos, all tied to Atlantic City licenses, now win more than the casino floors do ($2.91 billion in 2025), which is why every casino pushes its app. Sports betting has been legal at the casinos since June 14, 2018.
The ownership map is shifting again in 2026. Caesars Entertainment, which runs Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana, agreed in May to be bought by Tilman Fertitta’s Fertitta Entertainment, the parent of Golden Nugget; shareholders approved the $17.6 billion deal on September 22, but federal regulators asked for more information on September 14 and no closing date has been set. On August 3, the Ilitch family’s companies bought out their partner in Ocean, with the state’s approval, and now own all of it. And the money is going into rooms: Hard Rock’s $50 million 2026 program redid more than 700 rooms, Tropicana reopened its refurbished Solana Tower in February, and Borgata is renovating its original hotel tower.
What’s Changed at Atlantic City Casinos in 2025 and 2026
Atlantic City’s casinos change hands, names and restaurants faster than the guidebooks do. Older articles, and even some official listings, are out of date on all of these:
| Casino or topic | What changed | Status in September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean | The Ilitch family’s companies bought out their partner, Luxor Capital; Chez Frites and Sunny’s opened in 2025, Ocean’s 18 Mini Golf around the start of 2026; the sportsbook is Fanatics; American Cut is off the restaurant list | Sole owners since August 3, 2026, with the state’s approval |
| Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana | Their parent, Caesars Entertainment, agreed on May 28, 2026, to be sold to Tilman Fertitta’s Fertitta Entertainment | Shareholders approved it on September 22; federal review continuing; not closed |
| Borgata | A $107 million renovation of the original tower; MGM Tower is the former Water Club; the Premier nightclub is gone; Noodles of the World is now Noodles | Renovation began September 13; renovated rooms from October |
| Hard Rock | A $50 million program renovated more than 700 North Tower rooms, 60-plus suites and eight penthouses; Sitar opened in July 2026; the old DAER nightclub is now a private-event space | North Tower work finished |
| Tropicana | The Solana Tower’s 598 rooms were refurbished; the spa is now Zen Spa (older listings say Bluemercury) | Solana Tower reopened in February 2026 |
| Caesars | The Nobu Hotel opened in January 2024 and the Caesars Beach Club in June 2026; the Wild Wild West is now The West; Buddakan and The Continental are off the restaurant list | Beach Club closed for the season |
| Bally’s | Caesars sold it in a deal agreed in 2020, so Caesars Rewards no longer works there; Park Place Prime opened in 2025; a new president arrived in August 2026 | Open; its owner says it will stay open |
| Resorts | LandShark Bar & Grill’s beach expansion opened in July 2025; Gallagher’s Steakhouse is off the restaurant list | Open all year |
| Golden Nugget | The sportsbook reopened in January 2025; a room renovation began in 2024; its longtime general manager left for Bally’s | Open |
| Showboat | No longer a casino; a hotel with Island Waterpark and the Lucky Snake arcade | Open; not one of the nine casinos |
| Jackpot tax forms | A slot win now triggers an IRS Form W-2G at $2,000 instead of $1,200 | In effect for 2026 wins |
| Problem-gambling helpline | 1-800-GAMBLER is run again by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey | Since September 29, 2025 |
What to Skip
- A Marina casino for a beach trip. Borgata, Harrah’s and Golden Nugget are on the bay, about 2 miles from the sand. If the beach is the point, stay on the Boardwalk.
- Caesars or Bally’s for a family pool weekend. Their only pools are summer-only and 21 and over. Tropicana, Harrah’s and Resorts have family pools, and Tropicana’s and Resorts’ are open all year.
- Paying for parking you could get free. Join the players’ club before you park; at several casinos, a $50 dinner or a little play covers the day.
- Old names from old guides. The Water Club is now MGM Tower, the Trump Taj Mahal is Hard Rock, Revel is Ocean, Trump Marina is Golden Nugget, the Wild Wild West is The West, and the Showboat has no casino.
- Planning a trip around a buffet. Borgata and Hard Rock run a public buffet, and Hard Rock’s is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; check a casino’s dining page before you plan a trip around one.
- Counting on free drinks. The law lets casinos comp drinks to players who ask, but no casino promises them, so treat them as a courtesy rather than part of the budget.
- Booking the cheapest room category without asking. Several resorts sell renovated and older rooms side by side (Golden Nugget’s Premier and Luxury rooms, for example), and at Borgata this fall, ask whether your floor is part of the renovation.
Atlantic City Casinos FAQ
How many casinos are in Atlantic City?
Nine, all licensed by New Jersey’s Casino Control Commission and open 24 hours a day: Ocean, Hard Rock, Resorts, Bally’s, Caesars and Tropicana on the Boardwalk, and Borgata, Harrah’s and Golden Nugget in the Marina District. The Showboat and The Claridge were once casino hotels but no longer have casinos.
Which Atlantic City casino is the best?
For most visitors, Borgata: it has the most rooms, the deepest restaurant list, a poker room of more than 75 tables and three pool areas. Ocean is the pick for newly renovated rooms and a big spa, Hard Rock for concerts on the Boardwalk, Tropicana for families on a rainy day, and Harrah’s for poker and a domed year-round pool.
Are drinks free in Atlantic City casinos?
Sometimes. New Jersey law lets casinos serve complimentary drinks to players on the casino floor, but only when you ask, and none of the casinos promises free drinks on its website. Treat them as a courtesy to active players and tip your server. Casinos can’t sell unlimited drinks for a flat price except on New Year’s Eve and a few approved event days.
Do Atlantic City casinos allow smoking?
Yes. New Jersey’s indoor smoking ban exempts casino floors, and casinos may allow smoking on up to 25% of the gaming floor. A casino workers’ lawsuit to end the exemption is still in court, and bills to ban it hadn’t left committee as of April 2026. Restaurants, most indoor areas and the Tropicana and Harrah’s poker rooms are smoke-free.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Atlantic City?
You must be 21 to gamble, to bet on sports and even to linger on a casino floor; people under 21 may only walk through on their way somewhere else. Most casino hotels also require the person booking the room to be 21. Casinos can check your ID at any time, so carry it.
Do Atlantic City hotels charge resort fees?
Most casino hotels do. Bally’s charges $28 a night, Hard Rock $30 plus tax and Ocean about $42 at check-in, while Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana show theirs at booking. On top come 13.625% tax and $7 a night in state fees. Some non-casino hotels charge one too: The Claridge’s is $18 a night plus a $1 destination fee.
Which Atlantic City hotels have indoor pools?
Resorts (a saltwater pool under a retractable glass roof), Tropicana (a family pool in the South Tower), Harrah’s (a domed pool and an all-ages family pool), Ocean (a heated indoor-outdoor pool for hotel guests), Borgata and Hard Rock all have indoor pools, and so does the non-casino Claridge. Caesars, Bally’s and Golden Nugget have summer pools only.
When did casinos open in Atlantic City?
New Jersey voters approved casinos for Atlantic City on November 2, 1976, and Resorts opened the first one on May 26, 1978. Caesars, Bally’s, Harrah’s and Tropicana followed by the end of 1981. Borgata opened in 2003, and Hard Rock and Ocean reopened two closed casinos on June 27, 2018.
Related New Jersey Guides
- Atlantic City beyond the casinos: the Boardwalk, the free beaches, Steel Pier, Lucy the Elephant, restaurants, shows and an honest look at safety.
- The Jersey Shore, town by town: every beach town from Sandy Hook to Cape May, with badge prices and drive times.
Sources and How We Checked
We checked every casino’s rooms, restaurants, pools, spas, parking, resort fees, rewards programs and house rules on September 24, 2026, on the casinos’ own websites. Room counts, occupancy and gaming-win rankings come from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s published reports, and licensing, ownership and the rules of play from the Casino Control Commission and its copy of the Casino Control Act. We did not stay at or visit the casinos for this update, and nothing here is sponsored. Drive times are light-traffic estimates from the OSRM routing engine, rounded to five minutes.
- New Jersey Casino Control Commission: licensed casinos and its history of casino gaming
- Division of Gaming Enforcement: second-quarter 2026 results (rooms and occupancy) and August 2026 casino revenue
- Division of Gaming Enforcement: self-exclusion program and Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (1-800-GAMBLER)
- New Jersey Division of Taxation: Atlantic City hotel taxes and fees (ANJ-17)
- The casinos’ own sites: Borgata, Ocean, Hard Rock, Caesars, Tropicana, Harrah’s, Resorts, Golden Nugget and Bally’s
- Atlantic City Jitney Association: free rail-terminal shuttle and South Jersey Transportation Authority: Atlantic City Expressway
New Jersey Tourism Guide is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with Visit New Jersey or the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, Visit Atlantic City, the Casino Control Commission, the Division of Gaming Enforcement or any casino, hotel or restaurant listed here, and no one paid to be included.
Photo Credits
- The north end of the Boardwalk from Bally's: photo by Tdorante10, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Borgata and the former Water Club: photo by Truff Stuff, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Ocean from the Boardwalk: photo by Farragutful, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Hard Rock from the Boardwalk: photo by Toohool, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- The Tropicana from the beach: photo by Dough4872, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Harrah's in the Marina District: photo by TruffStuff, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Bally's at dusk: photo by Bruce Emmerling, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)