Resorts Casino Hotel unveiled the first ever iGaming Lounge in Atlantic City, bringing the world of online gaming onto the casino floor. The lounge coincides with the launch of ResortsCasino.com, the casino’s first venture into internet gaming.
Resorts President & CEO Mark Giannantonio compared the high-tech lounge to an Apple Store, where players can sign up and play on the latest touch screen devices, including six Nexus tablets, four MacBook laptops and six Samsung Galaxy Note 4 mobile devices. The digital hub contains two coffee table-sized units with touchscreen display, as well as three 36-inch wall kiosks that look like oversized iPhones. In addition there are two charging stations where players that bring their own devices can sit.
Casino personal will be on hand to help customers sign up for free on the Resort’s web site and familiarize them with their loyalty points. The lounge will also handle player accounts and pay outs. Resorts.com will offer several slot and table games, adding different titles in the future.
“These new amenities are the latest examples of Resorts’ long-term property reinvestment plans, highlighting our casino’s ongoing growth trajectory for success,” said Morris Bailey, owner of Resorts.
“The casino floor has been static for decades,” Bailey said. “Online gaming offers tremendous growth.” Bailey said that Resorts, which is managed by Mohegan Gaming Advisors, believes in integrating online gaming with the brick and mortar casino, attracting a younger generation of players.
“It will make our brick-and-mortar customers feel comfortable online, where maybe some of them are not,” Bailey said. “We can make it interesting and exciting. Some people fear the competition of online gambling to the brick-and-mortar casino. I think it’s going to be an asset.”
Resorts enters the online field behind other Atlantic City casinos, including Caesars WSOP brand and Borgata’s online sites. Once courted by PokerStars as an online partner, Resorts eventually partnered with SNG Interactive, which includes publicly traded companies Sportech PLC and NYX Gaming Group, the largest online content provider in the United States.
“By waiting to launch our online casino,” said Giannantonio, “we understand what our customers are looking for, and can better meet their needs by offering the kind of content they want.”
Payment processing, a major impediment to potential iGaming players, will be easier with this Resorts lounge, says Giannantonio, who says deposits and withdrawals will be easily accomplished in the casino.
Hosted on an iGaming platform compatible with mobile devices and desktops, ResortsCasino.com kick off the online launch with giveaways and promotions. Resorts will be offering incentives to registered account members, including complimentary cash slot vouchers to play for real money online.
But the PokerStars connection is still pending approval as the state Division of Gaming Enforcement completes its investigation of PokerStars and recent owner, Amaya Gaming. But when it is completed, it could be a game-changer.
Steven McLoughlin, whose company runs PokerTracker.com, believes that poker liquidity will triple when PokerStars is approved in New Jersey.
“We are anxiously awaiting that process to be complete, because Resorts will then be the leader in the online marketplace in New Jersey,” Bailey said.
