She also noted that the casinos’ collective gross operating profit was the highest first-quarter performance in the past five years. Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University, which studies the Atlantic City gambling market, said the resort showed “meaningful growth” during what is traditionally the slowest period for them in the first quarter of the year. Hard Rock had the biggest percentage increase in operating profit compared with last year, up almost 213%.