The Hard Rock and Ocean Resort Casino were both scheduled to open this week, on Thursday. This made this week one of the most anticipated weeks in recent history for the city. However, things didn’t go quite as planned, with both properties opening earlier than planned. This was great news for both casinos, as well as visitors to the city.
The Hard Rock and Ocean Resort in Atlantic City both managed to open their doors a day ahead of schedule.
Hard Rock & Ocean Resort Open a Day Early
The Hard Rock was supposed to have its grand opening around 11 am on Thursday, with Ocean Resorts following a few hours later. Both resorts were able to surprise the city when they opened on Wednesday, after getting the green light from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. The Hard Rock was the first to open after its gaming license was active at 3 pm. Ocean Resorts followed a few hours later, being allowed to turn on the slots and deal cards from 5:45 pm.
Both resorts opened their doors as soon as their licenses were active, wasting no time in welcoming visitors. The CEO of Ocean Resort was also pleasantly surprised how busy the casino floor was, considering the early opening.
Are There Too Many Casinos?
Now that these two properties have finally opened their doors, Atlantic City is officially a nine-casino town. At its peak, there were 12 casinos before they started closing in 2014. Atlantic City has seen two years of consecutive growth for its casinos, which signaled to some that it was the right time to add more. However, many are concerned that seven casinos is the right size and that the extra two casino floors will not be beneficial to the city.
However, Hard Rock and Ocean Resort are sure they can make it work and they have vastly different ideas for going forward. Hard Rock is not going to be focusing on gaming, but rather entertainment. The property already has made hundreds of concert bookings, while Ocean Resort is hoping to become everyone’s casino. The goal is to make everyone feel welcome, including high rollers and casual gamblers, as well as families. Only time will tell how this all plays out but no matter what, it’s an exciting time for Atlantic City.
