With what is starting to look like it could be the first “normal,” non-pandemic-impacted summer in three years, one Atlantic City casino in particular is gearing up for the occasion.
Ocean Casino Resort on Monday announced plans for a new section called “The Gallery Bar, Book & Games.” The 12,000-square-foot renovation will complete Ocean’s $25 million casino floor transformation.
The Gallery will feature a 100-foot elevated bar and lounge that will include 59 seats and a dozen slot machines. A mix of blackjack and roulette tables will surround the perimeter of the bar, while 140 feet of LED walls will line the site. A 17-foot open-air staircase will connect to Balcony Bar — a mezzanine bar and lounge where guests will enjoy what Ocean calls “the ultimate VIP sportsbook experience.”
“Ocean is dedicated to being the premier gaming destination in the Atlantic City market,” Ocean General Manager Bill Callahan said in a statement. “This new venue will enhance the guest experience by providing an unbeatable atmosphere right in the heart of the casino floor.”
Also, the casino is replacing operation of its sportsbook, originally run by William Hill, with sportsbook operator US Bookmaking and the legendary Vic Salerno, whose company now is a subsidiary of Elys Game Technology Corp.
Upgrades upon upgrades
Ocean last fall announced a $75 million investment plan after the Ilitich Group — the Michigan-based family that owns the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings sports franchises — bought a 50% stake in the Boardwalk casino.
That upgrade features the addition of more than 460 guest rooms and suites on 12 floors. Ocean also last spring completed over $15 million in property improvements, marking the debut of The Cove “high-limit slot experience” and The Loft private luxury gaming suite, as well as two new guest lounges for Ocean Rewards card members. New pathways also were installed throughout the casino. Upgrades to dining as well as pool and cabana areas also were made.
Ocean, which opened on the same day as rival Hard Rock in mid-2018, could be dreaming of someday making a run at Borgata’s nearly 20-year status as king of the Atlantic City casino hill — or at least climbing a notch to No. 2.
In 2021, Borgata took in $606 million in gross gaming revenue vs. Hard Rock’s $431.1 million and third-place Ocean’s $306.8 million. The rankings were the same in pandemic-plagued 2020, with significantly lower revenues due to closure of the casinos from March until the July 4 weekend.
In pre-COVID 2019, Ocean took just sixth place out of the nine casinos.
Hard Rock doesn’t seem ready to yield to Ocean, however. Last month, Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen announced that more than 2,000 employees would receive bonus checks of $600 to celebrate the casino’s runnerup status in 2021. Hard Rock is a reconstituted version of the Trump Taj Mahal casino, while Ocean has risen from the bones of the star-crossed Revel casino site.
Both “reinvented” properties have surpassed most of their more venerable rivals.
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