When sports betting went live in New Jersey in June 2018, most Atlantic City casinos threw up temporary sportsbooks to begin taking bets.
A year later, several casinos have opened permanent sportsbooks. The two latest—the Borgata and Bally’s—both unveiled new facilities in recent weeks. Combined, the two sportsbooks represent a more than $20 million investment in the state’s growing sports betting industry.
The debut of Borgata’s $12 million facility, the Moneyline Bar & Book, followed the opening of Bally’s $8.4 million sportsbook, which serves that casino and the neighboring Caesars casino.
Most sports betting in the state takes place online, but the investment in brick-and-mortar facilities is aimed at attracting sports fans to the resort city. “We wanted to go big and have an amazing experience,” Kevin Ortzman, regional president of Caesars Entertainment told the Associated Press. “We fully expect people to use mobile as well, but to visually experience these games in a facility like this is an amazing experience.”
Borgata combined its sportsbook with an adjacent cocktail bar and lounge with high-end gambling called Level One. The Moneyline does not feature stadium seating and offers more of a restaurant/nightclub feel. Casino officials said they did not want to build a traditional Vegas-style sportsbook. “We’re building a destination experience and if it happens to have sports wagering, great,” said Borgata President Marcus Glover. “Our slogan for this is ‘Eat, drink, bet, watch.’”
Bally’s sportsbook, meanwhile, includes five “fan cave” private rooms. It also will include a beer-pong bar and Atlantic City’s first self-serve beer, casino officials said. Though the casino has yet to schedule an official grand opening for the facility, Ortzman describes it as a more social facility designed to attract younger players.
“We’ve done a lot of research on what is appealing to millennials, and it’s the social aspect,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s the control: They don’t like things being told to them; they want to have their own control. They’ll still spend, but they’re not going to spend what we’re accustomed to with a traditional gamer, who might spend $100 on a slot machine or blackjack. They’ll still spend a hundred, but it’s going to be on value-oriented drinks, quick-service food. They’ll spend a little bit on blackjack, but in a social setting with all of their buddies.”
Hard Rock Atlantic City and the Ocean Casino Resort have also opened permanent sportsbooks in the city.
