The introduction of cross-platform roulette at Atlantic City’s best-performing casino is unlikely to be a gamechanger for either in-person or online gambling in New Jersey.
However, the concept of synergizing casino floor action and digital play is always a welcome addition to NJ’s already impressive array of betting offerings.
Earlier this month, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa debuted a live dealer roulette table that both BetMGM Online Casino and Borgata Online Casino players can access simultaneously.
In other words, players standing tableside and online gamblers are both participating in the exact same real-money game.
Atlantic City casinos were first in US with live dealer tech
Dual Play Roulette is not the first such game in Atlantic City casinos or NJ online casinos. Evolution Gaming, the most-recognizable name in live dealer casino games, has already offered the game at Resorts Casino Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City and Ocean Casino Resort.
In addition, online casinos in NJ associated with those AC casinos offer the digital version.
But, truthfully, none of those AC casinos carry the same weight with gamblers like Borgata does. And, BetMGM Online Casino NJ — a 50/50 joint venture from MGM Resorts and Entain plc — is quickly becoming one of the leading online casino brands in the US.
The Dual Play Roulette game at Borgata marks the first time Evolution has partnered with a domestic MGM property.
Help wanted: Online gamblers in NJ willing to play in casino parking lots
PlayNJ took the new game for a spin recently. It’s a tough life, but somebody had to do it.
From a player’s perspective, the online option is as seamless as can be. Accessing the game from the BetMGM mobile app in the parking lot of the Borgata was quick and easy.
Once the app connected to the roulette game, it was indistinguishable from nearly all other Evolution live-dealer games in that it functioned exactly as advertised.
Placing bets on the digital interface was painless. Well, except for all the losing. But we’re sure someone will (hopefully) reimburse our gambling losses since it was work-related (not really). As we said — it’s a tough life, but somebody has to do it.
Borgata dealers always make it look so easy
Anyway, back to Dual Play Roulette.
When we did happen to hit, the dealer (or dealers?) at the Borgata table was efficient with payouts. It’s hard to tell from the app if the dealers have an assistant or an aide since the players at the table are also getting paid quickly.
But it stands to reason that there is more than one employee working the game, with one person likely inputing and approving winning bets for online players and the other manning the table as usual.
After having some fun sitting in the car playing Dual Play Roulette on a cell phone, we went inside Borgata to check out the table IRL (as the kids say). Our bankroll was a bit light that day, so we only observed.
Again, there was nothing that really stood out to us as being different about Dual Play Roulette when you are standing at the table. There is a monitor above the table showing in-person gamblers what the BetMGM and Borgata Online Casino NJ players are seeing but there’s nothing to indicate what it is or why it’s there.
Big takeaway from Dual Play Roulette — it’s fun
Overall, the experience of playing Evolution’s Dual Play Roulette was enjoyable, just not memorable. PlayNJ has a fair amount of experience with a comparable game at Resorts dating back nearly five years.
It’s hard to put your finger on what makes these types of table games different for IRL players. Maybe it’s some form of voyeurism or novelty. We’re not really sure why a roulette player stalking the pits on a Friday or Saturday night would sit at one of these tables.
But, for an online gambler, the draw is undeniable. Live dealer games provide players with a sense of fairness in gambling that AI/computer-operated games do not. We’re sure there are people who choose to play computer blackjack or roulette, but we’ve never met them.
With live dealer action, the gameplay feels like you’re at the casino. Except you don’t have to deal with other people, distractions or inflated resort prices.
In fact, live dealer casino games are such a hit that if we were gamblers (okay, we are, just not very good ones) we’d put good money down that options like Dual Play Roulette and others of its ilk will soon be the games of choice for many players.
