1119_SJM_AtlanticCity - FINAL_Profile ( Dept . ) 10 / 29 / 19 5 : 19 PM Page 6 A T L A N T I C C I T Y R E P O R T 2 0 1 9 B E T T I N G O N T H E F U T U R E “ The Book was designed to lead the evolution Thanks to new properties , legalized sports of gaming in Atlantic City , rivaling top sports betting and other factors , Atlantic City casinos books throughout the country , ” says Noel have seen gaming revenue jump . But does it Stevenson , spokesperson on behalf of Cae - sars Entertainment . tell the whole story ? b y P E T E R P R O K O Similarly , Ocean’s 7,500 - square - foot ver the course of the past several years , the fate of Atlantic City space boasts a slew of amenities like skybox has been a hot topic of conversation . There’s been plenty of talk about suites and an attractive sports bar . The the supposed doom and gloom surrounding the town , specifically property is also one of two in town to the casino industry and its impending demise . On the flipside , there’s partner with William Hill , a well - known also been lots of chatter about the town’s rebirth and the exciting bookmaker based in London . It’s a move prospects that are working to change its fortune . that has seemingly paid off for the property One of the more encouraging stories of late was a September report that total across the board . gaming revenue had jumped to $ 352.8 million in August , a 16.1 percent increase from “ We recently finished the third quarter , that time last year . Boosted by sports betting and new properties along the Boardwalk [ in ] which we performed very well . We set in Ocean and Hard Rock , it would appear that things were on the upswing , and not property records for both revenues and solely because of online accessibility . People were actually visiting the properties to lay profits . … We are one of the fastest - growing their bets down . Borgata , for one , had a record summer , generating $ 219 million in casinos in the region and we are here for land - based turnover . Hard Rock was next with $ 41 million , a boost of 31 percent from the long run , ” says Ocean’s Mike Donovan , this time last year when the property was still in its infancy stages . chief marketing officer and senior vice While those numbers slightly dipped in September , overall total gaming revenue president . m . was still up nearly 8 percent from 2018 . Many would attribute continued interest in When the Borgata built its sports wager - k.co online gaming as well as the advent of legalized sports betting , but that does not tell ing space , it did so by creating an rstocarea the entire story . that is designed to be more than just huttea It is true that ever since Borgata took the first legalized sports wager in June 2018 , the place to bet on the big game . Instead , it as / S city was buzzing with excitement . However , while the nine casino properties in town made Moneyline Bar & Book razialongside G certainly recognize its popularity , they also realize that sports wagering is merely a newly the Level One Cocktail Bar & Lounge with l hea introduced piece to the puzzle and they have varying approaches on how to capitalize on the mindset of attracting a clientele that Rac it . While some have decided to simply offer a scaled - down sports book , in some cases can grab a bite to eat or a cocktail while f o sy just consisting of a small viewing area with a betting window or a few self - serve kiosks , making the process of placing a wager ourte others have made large investments to turn their books into more of a destination . approachable and easy . c to For instance , with more than 15,000 square feet of real estate , The Book at Bally’s oWild “ We are extremely proud to have been ph e Wild West has made quite a splash since opening last summer . It’s a massive space with the first Atlantic City casino to accept a Abov larger - than - life , million dollar televisions , private seating areas and a self - serve beer bar . legal sports wager and have since introduced SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 16 issue 8 SouthJerseyMagazine.com | 47