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New Jersey gamblers just made history for the third month in a row. In January, internet betting sites raked in more money than the famous slot machines and table games inside Atlantic City’s nine casinos combined, a clear sign that the future of gambling has already gone digital.

The state Division of Gaming Enforcement dropped the official numbers this week. Online casinos and sports books won $258.9 million from players in January. That huge haul jumped almost 17% compared to January last year.

In-person gamblers at the brick-and-mortar casinos left behind $213.4 million, only 1.6% more than the same month a year ago. For the first time ever, online winnings beat floor winnings three straight months.

Total gambling revenue across all channels hit $586.4 million, up 5.9% year-over-year.

How the Money Breaks Down

Here is the quick side-by-side look at January wins:

Borgata, Resorts Digital, and Golden Nugget Online Gaming led the internet pack again. The big three online operators now bring in more cash every month than any single physical casino.

Why Online Keeps Exploding

Players love the comfort of betting from home. Smartphones make it easy to spin slots or place a quick sports bet during halftime. New Jersey also offers hundreds of games online that simply do not fit on a traditional casino floor.

Promotions play a huge role too. Internet sites give away free play and deposit bonuses that brick-and-mortar casinos rarely match. One regular player told reporters he got $800 in free credits last month alone.

The state loves the extra tax money. Online gambling carries the same 15% tax rate on casino games, and every extra dollar helps fund senior programs and disability services.

Atlantic City Still Packs the Weekends

Do not write off the boardwalk just yet. Physical casinos saw more people walk through the doors in January. Hotel rooms filled up fast on weekends, and restaurants stayed busy.

The nine casinos employed 24,827 people at the end of January, only slightly fewer than last year. Big events like concerts and boxing matches still draw crowds that online sites cannot replace.

Industry leaders say both worlds can grow together. Mark Giannantonio, president of Resorts Casino and the Casino Association of New Jersey, said the online boom actually brings new customers who later visit in person.

What Happens Next

Analysts expect online to keep leading the way. Super Bowl betting in February likely pushed the gap even wider. New games such as live dealer blackjack and fast-paced crash games keep younger players hooked.

Lawmakers watch closely. Some want to raise taxes on internet winnings to help Atlantic City, while others fear that would push players to illegal offshore sites.

One thing stays clear: New Jersey gamblers have voted with their wallets. They want the ease and choice that only phones and laptops deliver.

The shift to online gambling touches everyday lives across the state. More tax dollars flow to schools and roads because people play from their couches. Jobs inside the casinos stay safe for now, but the industry keeps changing faster than anyone predicted five years ago.

Bally’s Corporation just pulled off two massive financial moves in one week that give the casino giant fresh firepower and breathing room for years to come.

The company locked in a $1.1 billion term loan and closed the long-awaited $700 million sale-leaseback of its Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort in Rhode Island. These deals, both announced Wednesday, instantly strengthen Bally’s balance sheet and fund its aggressive growth plans.

Bally’s secured the huge term loan from a powerhouse group of lenders led by Ares Management Credit funds, alongside King Street Capital Management and TPG Credit. The facility matures in 2031, giving the company seven years of runway.

The $1.1 billion infusion marks one of the largest gaming credit deals of the year. Industry experts say the money will help Bally’s finish big projects, including its permanent Chicago casino and ongoing upgrades across its 19 properties in 11 states.

The loan replaces older debt and carries better terms than previous facilities, according to company statements. Bally’s executives called the closing a “major milestone” that shows strong investor confidence.

$700 Million Lincoln Deal Closes at Last

At the same time, Bally’s completed the sale-leaseback of the Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort to GLP Capital, a unit of Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLPI). The all-cash deal brings in $700 million before fees and taxes.

Bally’s keeps running the casino under a long-term lease. Starting rent sits at $56 million a year with built-in increases over time.

This transaction lets Bally’s unlock the value of real estate it already owns without losing control of a top-performing property. Twin River Lincoln has been a cash cow for years, regularly ranking among the highest-grossing casinos in New England.

Why These Deals Matter Right Now

The timing could not be better for Bally’s. The company is in the middle of its biggest expansion ever, with the $1.7 billion Chicago project still under construction and new resorts planned in Las Vegas and beyond.

Cash from the Lincoln sale and the new loan give Bally’s more than $1.8 billion in fresh capital in a single week. That kind of liquidity keeps contractors paid and projects on schedule even if interest rates stay high.

What Wall Street Thinks

Investors cheered the news. Bally’s shares jumped more than 8% in early trading Wednesday before settling with solid gains. Analysts praised the company for locking in long-term funding at a time when many gaming firms struggle with debt.

One gaming analyst told reporters the deals “remove major overhangs” that worried the market for months. Another called the Lincoln lease terms “very reasonable” compared to recent casino sale-leasebacks.

Bigger Picture for Bally’s Future

These moves fit a clear pattern. Bally’s has sold and leased back several properties over the past two years, including Black Hawk casinos in Colorado and its Tropicana site on the Las Vegas Strip. Each time the company keeps operating the venues while pulling out hundreds of millions in real estate value.

The strategy mirrors what giants like Caesars and Penn Entertainment have done successfully for years. It turns bricks and mortar into instant cash for new builds and online betting ventures.

Bally’s now has the money and the time it needs to finish its transformation from regional casino operator to national player with a major presence in Chicago, Las Vegas, and interactive gaming.

Two blockbuster deals in one week have turned Bally’s from a company racing against debt deadlines into one with years of flexibility and growth capital. For a gaming industry still shaking off pandemic scars and high interest rates, that kind of financial strength stands out. The big question now is where Bally’s spends all this new money next, and how fast it can turn ambitious plans into profits that reward shareholders.

California cardrooms just got hit with a bombshell. New state rules set to kick in next year could wipe out more than half their revenue overnight and put tens of thousands of workers on the street.

The California Gaming Association fired back hard on Tuesday, calling the regulations a direct attack on an industry that has operated the same way for decades.

Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Bureau of Gambling Control finalized changes that ban long-standing player-dealer games and certain blackjack-style offerings. These games make up the heart of most cardroom floors across the state.

Cardrooms say the move will slash their total revenue by over 50%. The Bureau’s own economic impact report backs that number and predicts the loss of roughly half the jobs in the sector.

Cities from Commerce to Bell Gardens could face sudden budget holes because they count on cardroom taxes to pay for police, fire stations, and parks.

Why the Sudden Crackdown?

State officials claim the rules simply enforce existing law that bans house-banked games in cardrooms. Tribal casinos, which offer full house-banked games under their compacts, have complained for years that cardrooms gained an unfair edge with player-dealer rotations.

The Gaming Association calls that argument weak. These same game formats won approval from past attorneys general and have run smoothly for over twenty years without major scandals.

One veteran floor manager in Los Angeles told reporters, “We follow every rule on the books. This feels like someone moved the goalposts after the game already started.”

Jobs and Cities on the Line

California is home to about 85 licensed cardrooms that employ around 32,000 people directly. Dealers, security staff, cooks, and cleaners all face an uncertain future.

Here are some of the hardest-hit areas:

• Commerce Casino – over 2,500 workers
• Hollywood Park Casino – around 1,800 employees
• Bicycle Hotel & Casino – roughly 1,700 staff
• Hawaiian Gardens Casino – more than 1,200 jobs

Smaller cities lean even heavier on the tax money. One city manager said losing cardroom revenue would force cuts to youth programs and road repairs starting next fiscal year.

Cardrooms Promise a Fight

Industry leaders vow to challenge the rules in court and push for emergency legislation in Sacramento. They argue regulators skipped required public comment periods and ignored their own data showing massive harm.

The association warns that without quick action, many cardrooms will close for good before the rules even take effect in 2026.

Some operators already talk about layoffs starting this summer to prepare for the worst.

The battle lines are now drawn between tribal gaming interests that back the crackdown and cardrooms that say they just want to keep operating under the rules they have followed for generations.

This fight will ripple far beyond the felt tables. It touches city budgets, family paychecks, and the future of gambling in the nation’s most populous state. Thousands of Californians now wait to see if lawmakers step in or let one of the state’s oldest gaming sectors get cut in half.

Missouri is now at the center of the biggest crackdown ever on unregulated gambling machines, with state and federal investigators tracing billions of dollars pouring from gas stations and bars into the pockets of out-of-state companies.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway dropped the bombshell Wednesday while testifying before a House committee. She revealed that Missouri has launched a full-scale investigation, at the direct request of federal authorities, into the companies behind the thousands of gray slot machines that have flooded the state over the past six years.

“We are following the money,” Hanaway told lawmakers. “We want to know exactly where every dollar goes, who owns these companies, where the machines are, and how many there are. Once we have that map, we will move in with enforcement.”

The probe is already active and spans multiple states, she confirmed.

Billions Have Left Missouri Since 2018

Industry insiders and law enforcement sources estimate that Missouri players have fed more than $10 billion into these unregulated machines since Torch Electronics and similar firms began placing them in 2018.

Not a single penny of that money has been taxed by the state.

None of it has gone to education, veterans, or any other program that legal casinos and the Missouri Lottery support.

Most of the profits, investigators believe, flow straight to company headquarters in Georgia, Texas, and other states.

Federal Judge Already Ruled the Games Illegal

The turning point came last year when a federal judge in Jefferson City ruled that Torch Electronics machines are illegal slot machines under Missouri law because the outcome is predominantly determined by chance, not skill, despite the companies’ claims.

That ruling gave law enforcement the green light they had been waiting for.

Hanaway said the new investigation builds directly on that decision and is now mapping every machine, every location, and every dollar trail.

Lawmakers Face Huge Decision at the Same Time

While investigators build their case, Missouri lawmakers are openly debating whether to simply legalize and tax the machines instead of fighting them.

Several bills moving through the Capitol would regulate the gray machines, set a tax rate, and direct revenue to early childhood education and other programs.

Supporters say regulation could bring in $300 million to $500 million a year for the state.

Opponents, including the Missouri Gaming Association that represents legal casinos, argue that legalizing them would gut the regulated casino industry and open the door to even more uncontrolled gambling.

What Happens Next

Hanaway made clear that the investigation will continue regardless of what lawmakers decide.

If the General Assembly does not act before the session ends in May, authorities could begin seizing machines and filing charges against operators across Missouri as early as this summer.

Gas station and bar owners who host the machines could also face penalties.

The attorney general’s office has already won several local court cases declaring the machines illegal, and more lawsuits are in the pipeline.

Missourians are now watching to see whether their state will finally shut down the biggest unregulated gambling operation in America or decide to cash in on it instead.