After a really hard year for most casino operators, Ocean Casino has decided to pump $15 million into renovations. This comes after an impressive performance over the Covid-19 period amidst cries from other similar businesses that they were reporting losses. For Ocean Casino, this renovation is meant to increase its offerings because the market has proved great despite the challenges.
Casino visitors have been out of action for more than a year and as the economy gradually opens up to business, many are looking forward to the environment. Apart from social distancing protocols that will be incorporated into social spaces, casinos are known for their luxury and comfort offerings. This is what Ocean Casino in New Jersey is looking to offer its guests – a wow experience for when they set their eyes on the premises after such a long while.
Renovation works are supposed to upgrade the beach, cabanas and other outdoor facilities such as the swimming pool. A huge chunk of the budget money is however expected to cater to indoor works on the casino floor. Some of the new additions that guests can look forward to after the interior is finished is a table games space for high rollers, new space for Asian-style gambling, and lounge areas for loyalty card holders.
It is common for most casinos to have a generous selection of Asian games and for good reason – they are in high demand. Asian casino players like the theme and so do Americans of Asian origin. Some of the most popular games are pai gow which is a game of gambling where players use tiles with a domino like style to play.
Quite frankly, Asians are generally open to gambling compared to other people in the great United States population. It might be due to the fact that many of them are tech savvy and therefore spend a lot of time on the internet. Regardless of the inspiration, games with an Asian theme appeal to a wide audience.
In a recent media statement, the CEO of Ocean, Terry Glebocki mentioned that the brand was gearing up for business after the Covid-19 wave had blown over. As the heat of the pandemic goes down, it is expected that people will resume their visits to casinos and this is what Glebocki and the team are preparing for. For guests of Ocean Casino Resort, the team is thrilled because they will welcome them with a unique gaming experience never before seen in the market.
What we cover
The renovations breakdown
The outdoor swimming pool within the Ocean Casino Resort premises has been a great attraction ever since the casino opened its doors to the public. It has without a doubt been the venue of many Christmas parties organized by the casino. File photos have revealed that employees of the casino participated in Christmas themed parties aided by inflatable water toys.
There is a chance that many people will have completely shifted their appreciation of the outdoors after the pandemic. Outdoor swimming is likely to be a huge attraction for guests who would rather say outside than in confined spaces.
To ease accessibility within the casino establishment, pathways will be constructed to connect various parts of Ocean Casino Resort. This will make it easy for guests to move between various games which have for a long time proven to be a burden due to the current internal layout of the gambling floor. In a move that will also increase the internal capacity of the casino, the slots selection will receive an additional 250 machines.
The casino is increasing its games database to be able to accommodate more players. Every individual casino player has a preferred game within the casino establishment. While some enjoy table games like cards there are those who would rather stay away from a casino if not to play live dealer poker. The 250 games that will be added to the casino database are drawn from various developers and therefore each is unique.
Although not directed at changing the structural appearance of the AC casino, the management of Ocean has announced that it will be setting aside over $1 million to cater for casino bonuses and salary upgrades planned for 2021. In 2020, when other businesses in the casino space reported losses in the millions, Oceans overshot its performance in 2020 by over 300%. This is the only casino in Atlantic City to report an increase in profits during the pandemic.
The city’s overall performance
For Oceans to have recorded positive growth is an indication that it was well positioned for such hard times. Taking the entire city’s performance into consideration, it has emerged that there was a market decline of more than 80%.
Ocean operates under the banner of the New York hedge fund Luxor Capital Group. No wonder the operator is able to pump such a huge budget while the rest of the stakeholders are doing all they can to cut down costs.
Final Thoughts
Renovations are supposed to add new life to an otherwise old property and this is exactly what the management of Ocean Casino Resort plans to do. It is a fact that most casinos have not hosted a single visitor for over a year and as the doors start flying open, many are eager to offer their patrons a new experience. Much of the renovations planned at the Ocean are aimed at appealing to the customer to spend more time at the establishment and therefore spend more.
For the management of this casino, the budget has not been hard to come by because they rely on the parent company to sponsor their R & D and marketing budgets. Renovating the premises will definitely give the casino an upper edge compared to the competition. While nine is not such a large number as far as competitors are concerned, it definitely makes a difference that Ocean will stand out among eight others.
