NJ Casino News: Weekly Roundup

Get the latest casino news and updates in New Jersey for this week (September 18, 2021 – September 24, 2021).

Nobu Is Coming to Atlantic City

The hotel and restaurant brand Nobu — conceived by celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Hollywood star Robert De Niro, and film producer Meir Teper — will be expanding into the Atlantic City market at Caesars Atlantic City. The new Nobu Hotel will be inside Caesars, slated to open next summer, while the restaurant’s cuisine specializes in sushi. The agreement marks a new set of investments for Caesars: 

“Our relationship with Nobu has been an unparalleled success in Las Vegas, and as we continue to invest there and in New Orleans and Atlantic City, we felt it was the perfect opportunity to deepen and expand that relationship,” said Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg.

Caesars added that the renovation of the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas inside Caesars Palace will include refurbishing all 182 guestrooms and suites. Caesars did not detail the number of rooms expected at the forthcoming Nobu hotels in Atlantic City and New Orleans.

AC Casinos Still Posting Encouraging Revenues

All nine Atlantic City Casinos and the three horse tracks reported that their aggregated gross gaming revenues increased this past August by 31% over this time last year. This includes increases in revenues from in-person gambling, internet gambling, and sports betting. While all of the casino hotels were open last summer, business was still affected by coronavirus restrictions, which have since been lifted:

“Peak summer in the resort produced promising revenue returns for the city’s casinos,” said Jane Bokunewicz, coordinator of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University, which studies New Jersey’s gambling industry.

“If pandemic mitigation efforts are successful in lowering transmission rates into the fall and winter and live events continue to return to the resort, we can expect a strong (off-peak) season fueled by continuing demand for experiences,” she said. “The start of the NFL season earlier this month is sure to boost sports gaming revenues moving into the fall.”

Hard Rock Adds Tapas to Restaurant Offerings

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City has recently opened Sandpiper Coastal Bar & Grill, a tapas restaurant. Shareable dishes are the focus, with seafood like mussels, oysters, and local fish featured:

“We are thrilled to officially announce Sandpiper Coastal Bar & Grill, a concept that our culinary team has been working hard to develop over the last several months,” Joe Lupo, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City said in a statement.

Supermarket Plans for AC Move Forward

Concerns about Atlantic City being a food desert have been ongoing, and now the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Board of Directors has granted preliminary and final site approval with variances for a ShopRite supermarket. The board established a fund reservation not to exceed $175,000 for services like environmental consulting and remediation. The supermarket will be at the corner of Baltic Avenue and North Ohio Avenue:

“This project addresses the immediate concerns of Jim Johnson’s Building a Foundation for a Shared Prosperity report in 2018,” CRDA Board Chairman Modia Butler said. “Access to high quality food will improve the amenities that affect the quality of life for current community members and affords the ability to attract new residents.”

A public hearing was conducted on the application on Sept. 2 and based on the evidence and the solid land use planning and engineering testimony provided, the preliminary and final site plan with use, area and bulk variances were recommended for approval by the CRDA board.

Atlantic City Receives $50,000 to Redevelop Former Trump Plaza

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority recently awarded $50,000 to Atlantic City as part of a larger grant program to redevelop, repurpose, or regreen vacant or underused retail and office spaces throughout the state. The city and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority will work in tandem to draft up a redevelopment plan for the old Trump Plaza site and adjacent properties:

The plan will work toward the creation of a development corridor that connects the Atlantic City Convention Center and a new retail development to the Boardwalk and beach, the release states.

… According to zoning regulations, the site can host casinos, multifamily high-rises, hotels, amusement uses, movie theaters, retail, restaurants, bars, parks, educational uses, institutional uses and government uses.

Bally’s Looking to Open a High-Limit Room

As part of their $100 million renovation project, Bally’s Atlantic City has announced their plans to open a high-limit room and a new restaurant focused on Asian Pacific cuisine. The planned high-limit room will house games like blackjack, craps, mini baccarat, and roulette:

“Our ownership is committed to providing a gaming experience like no other,” Nick Polcino, vice president and general manager of Bally’s, said in a statement. “The High Limits Tables room is just the beginning of the many improvements planned for Bally’s Atlantic City. We look forward to sharing more details about our $100 million of planned renovations.”