Evolution, a Swedish online gambling technology provider renowned in the US for its live dealer table games on New Jersey online casinos, is looking to establish a significant presence in Atlantic City.
According to local news reports, Evolution has proposed a $75 million campus on Fairmount Avenue to host its live dealer studios. Currently, Evolution operates studios inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, Ocean Casino Resort, and Tropicana Atlantic City.
The iGaming tech company has submitted a land use petition to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), a state agency based in Atlantic City responsible for revitalizing the Jersey shore town using casino gaming taxes. The CRDA has land-use authority in Atlantic City’s Tourism District, where all nine Atlantic City casinos are situated.
Potential for job growth with the new Evolution studio
Evolution plans to develop the campus on land currently used as a parking lot, owned by the CRDA. The company seeks either to purchase the land or receive it as a donation from the CRDA.
Lloyd D. Levenson, an Atlantic City-based gaming attorney from Cooper Levenson, is representing Evolution. He informed CRDA officials that Evolution currently employs about 850 people in Atlantic City. With the new facility, this number could more than double, potentially reaching around 2,000 employees by 2029.
New Jersey’s online gaming law mandates that live dealer operations must be conducted within Atlantic City to ensure the economic benefits of NJ online gambling support local casinos.
Surge in NJ online casino growth
Changing customer behaviors have driven significant growth in iGaming in New Jersey, fueled by the popularity of live dealer table games like those offered by Evolution. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend.
In 2019, the year before the pandemic, online casino gross revenue in New Jersey was nearly $483 million, according to the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement. By the end of 2020, this figure had more than doubled, exceeding $970 million. Last year, online gaming revenue surpassed $1.92 billion. In the first four months of 2024, revenue from online casinos has increased by nearly 21%.
