Before making a decision to purchase the former Revel Hotel and Casino, the 63-year-old Bruce Deifik had never been to Atlantic City. Then, the founder of Integrated Properties decided to make an offer to the takeover of the ex Revel gambling property, after Frank Ruocco, a minority stake owner, reassured him that it would be a good investment to do so.
The Revel Hotel and Casino, estimated to a total of US$2.4 billion, closed in 2014 only operating only for a couple of years because of strong competition from neighboring states and some wrong decisions made by the former management.
Mr. Deifik moved to Atlantic City once he decided to purchase the property, where he lived in the Tropicana Casino & Resort over the year spent by him preparing to open the casino. He has shared that in his opinion, the property might turn out to be one of the best-valued properties in the country as long as it is properly managed.
The purchase of the former Revel Hotel and Casino, now called Ocean Resort Casino, was finalized in January 2018 at the prize of US$200 million. As revealed by Mr. Deifik himself, an amount of approximately further $200 million has been spent for some changes which according to him would make the casino more successful in comparison to the time when it operated under the Revel brand.
Ocean Resort Casino Set to Start Operating on June 28th
Last Friday, it became clear that the Ocean Resort Casino had been granted with a casino operating license a week before it is expected to reopen. The property is expected to start operating on June 28th.
As mentioned above, the property has been revamped, with the casino floor being renovated. In addition, a sportsbook was specially built in an effort to take advantage of the New Jerseyās newly-opened sports betting market. A virtual-golf gaming center and a new nightclub were also established.
Mr. Deifikās future plans also include adding 12 more floors to the Ocean Resortās hotel, which never got thoroughly completed at the time when the property was owned by the Revel brand. The addition of the 12 floors would boost the overall number of hotel rooms from 1,399 to almost 2,000. What is more, two helicopter landing pads, as well as a rooftop go-kart racetrack, are included in the future plans of the propertyās new owner.
Mr. Deifik pledged to try and avoid the mistakes made by the previous owners of the Ocean Resort Casino. He explained that he has tried to address the concerns which local residents have shared about the former Revel Casino. When it comes to possible smoking ban, he shared that he has decided to permit smoking in certain parts of the casino.
