Originally posted on 08/21/2018:

Quote Originally Posted by big joe 1212 View Post
So over the last couple of days I’ve had a chance to visit all these books (except Harrah’s). Here is my review.

Golden Nugget: What a pathetic setup. It’s located in the main lobby right outside the poker room. They put a small hole in the wall and set up 3 teller stations (2 manned). Three screens showing the lines but that is it! No TV’s showing the games and nowhere to sit. You need to go to a nearby bar to see any games and only regular TV games are on.

Resorts: They are located in a small room off the casino floor. Three available tellers. When I was in there they had 3 customers and there seemed to be a lot of confusion. Good thing that I was not trying to place a last minute bet. They had 1 large TV on the wall and a few small ones. All the TV’s we’re showing the same game. No available seating other than a couch.

Ocean: First of all I’m predicting this place will be bankrupt within a year again. They didn’t make many changes from the Revel. It’s located at the very end of the boardwalk with little foot traffic. The casino was kinda dead for being the summertime. This place finished dead last in gaming revenue in its first month back so what that tell you? The sportsbook is in the middle of the gaming floor. They have a few tellers with no customers. A few TV’s plus a bar. You can see the construction under way for expansion but I still think it will be too small for an NFL crowd.

Borgata: I’ll hold off judgement until the new sportsbook opens up.

Ballys Wild West: This is the best one so far. They had 3 tellers open but room for more for football season. They have about 50 cushioned seats plus tables and chairs. They had every baseball game on overhead. They have food options nearby along with $5 gaming tables. Reasonable priced drinks. Restrooms close by. This would be my go to place.

Hard Rock: Beutiful casino with lots of action and music. They did a tremendous job on the renovation from the Taj. Unfortunately, I cannot give a review on the sportsbook as I could not find it. I was heavily intoxicated and gave up quickly, and retreated to the craps table.

Overall, AC has a long way to go. All books will be overcrowded for football weekends. They will make most of their money online.
Good report. I did the same.

But came away with a much different impression. The court decision came down in early summer, and because gaming space is at a premium, I didn't expect much yet.

I took about 10-15 minutes and talked to some of the book staff at Resorts, WWW, and Ocean Resort. All 3 of those have significant plans for a full book, 2 of them said the idea is to take as many tickets as possible during football season, with the expansion being ready for the NFL playoffs/Super Bowl, and by March Madness having everything really settled in.

And honestly, I think they realize that a lot of business will be mobile driven.