Sometimes I open an article with a tangent or rambling story just to up my word count, but all I need to do right now is point you to the title. AC Ocean Walk, the parent company of the Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, formally announced on Monday that the casino will open to the public on Thursday, June 28th.
“We are thrilled to share this exciting news with you and would like to thank each and every one of you for being a part of the Ocean Resort Casino extended family and our debut in Atlantic City,” said AC Ocean Walk Chairman Bruce Deifik to the property’s employees Monday afternoon (the quote was reprinted in a press release). “It was important for us to share this news with you directly, as the team here at Ocean, both as part of our family and as a part of the wonderful community that is Atlantic City that will continue to play an integral role in our future success. For that, we are extremely grateful to each of you.”
The Ocean Resort Casino is the renovated, reimagined, rebranded Revel Casino, which opened in April 2012 and cost a sickening $2.4 billion to build. It was supposed to be a challenger to the Borgata in the ultra-glitzy casino category in Atlantic City, but it failed spectacularly (it didn’t help that Atlantic City was struggling mightily at the time) and closed in September 2014.
After a soap opera of a bidding a purchasing process that lasted for about half a year, Glenn Straub and his Polo North Country Club bought the Revel for $82 million in April 2015. The following year he renamed it TEN and boasted of his plans for the property, but he never ended up doing anything with it, eventually selling to Bruce Deifik in January 2018. Deifik’s goal from the outset was to re-open the casino and to do so quickly.
“Our team has been working diligently since we acquired the property in January and have put a great deal of time and effort into creating a truly unique and memorable destination guest experience. We think people will love what we have created through our partnerships with well-known brands such as Hyatt, Topgolf, Walhburgers and others that offer the best in quality dining, entertainment and hospitality,” the press release quoted Deifik as saying.
The casino floor will be 138,000 square feet, though no specifics have been given on what sorts games will be offered. Obviously, the usually slots and table games will be plentiful, but we do not know if there are plans for a poker room; the Ocean website does not say one way or the other.
One of the most interesting things about the Ocean Resort Casino’s scheduled grand opening is that it is the same day as the grand opening of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. It is not known if this was intentional or coincidental on the part of Ocean.
