Atlantic City’s Ocean Resort has taken a step to help the city become a center for eSports by opening “the Den,” an on-property esports facility.
The opening was part of an esports gaming festival held at the casino through a partnership with Fox Marketing’s Gameacon. The festival featured panels, esports competitions, and showcased new games. Organizers said it was the first time a casino has partnered to host Gameacon.
Casino Vice Chairman Jordan Deifik said The Den “is a place you go and hang out with your friends.”
“It’s similar to the den you had growing up in your house,” Deifik said, according to CDC Gaming Reports. “Not only do I believe in esports, but I see it exploding as a field that’s becoming legitimized with all of the investment that is going on. The research of esports is now such that it’s being taken seriously on the level of football, baseball and other major sports.”
Atlantic City has been making strides to become a center for esports play.
“We’re trying to find a way to capture a piece of that exploding market that is esports now but also to drive that younger demographic, the millennial, to the property,” Deifik said. “It made all of the sense in the world to try and find a way to position ourselves as the preeminent esports property for the East Coast. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Den is a 5,600-square-foot facility that features PCs, arcade games, and more traditional games found in bars.
