A new era of sports betting in New Jersey has begun at Ocean Casino Resort.
The six-year-old Boardwalk casino debuted the new in-person Fanatics Sportsbook in The Gallery over the weekend, marking the first retail sportsbook for Fanatics in the Garden State.
“There are very few places in the United States like Ocean,” Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting & Gaming, said at the ribbon-cutting, “so this is a great spot to be.
“I think Atlantic City is an amazing place where a lot of people go for entertainment, a lot of people go for gambling. And in our industry, New Jersey has been an incredible innovator for online gaming spaces, which is awesome.”
Jay-Z, Justin Thomas headline all-star cast at Fanatics
The star-studded event featured the likes of Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and Jay-Z – also co-founder of Fanatics Sportsbook – cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
Soon after, PGA Tour golfer Justin Thomas made the ceremonial first bet: $100 on Alabama to win the college football national championship at +950 odds. If that wasn’t enough, former NBA star Jalen Rose, hip-hip artist Quavo and former Pittsburgh Steeler Ryan Clark also made appearances.
The new Fanatics retail sportsbook resides inside The Gallery, spanning 12,000 square feet of gaming and bar space that features a 100-foot elevated bar and lounge that seats 60 guests as well as slot machines, table games, and 140 feet of LED walls surrounding the sportsbook.
Leading up to the grand opening, Ari Borod, chief business officer for Fanatics, said Ocean “represents the perfect partner” for Fanatics’ retail debut in New Jersey.
Added Bill Callahan, general manager at Ocean Casino Resort:
“Fanatics boasts an unmatched roster of the world’s most renown sports leagues, teams, and global brands and we are excited to present these to our guests here at Ocean.”
Fanatics, Ocean Casino ‘a perfect marriage’
Originally home to William Hill before transitioning to US Bookmaking in 2022, Ocean now boasts a rising brand in the legal sports betting world – a fitting partnership considering Ocean’s own upward trend in Atlantic City.
Since completing the transition from PointsBet in May, Fanatics – which also operates Fanatics Casino NJ – has climbed the NJ sports betting ranks.
In August, the operator had its best month during that time with nearly $3.4 million in revenue to rank fifth overall in the industry. That falls on the pattern shown by Ocean, which opened in 2018 and has since established itself as a top-three casino in terms of revenue.
This further proves how perfect the Ocean-Fanatics partnership is, according to Callahan.
“It takes two really good brands that aligned very well, and it connects them,” Callahan told the Press of Atlantic City, adding the shared aspirations between Rubin and himself.
“We both want to be very successful in what we do. And we think the journey for the customers is the most important thing, and I think we can both accomplish it without stepping on each other’s toes. It’s a perfect marriage at this point.”
