Last weekend I had the chance to attend the Casino eSports Convention (CEC), which was an overflowing fountain of knowledge. From the generality of eSports to the mindsets of gamers, all the way through to the legalities of betting on competitive video gaming and tips on how to best implement it onto the casino scene – CEC had it all.
With an amazing line up of extremely competent speakers, there was much to learn from each one on the several different topics spoken about.
The eSports community has been around for decades, but has experienced explosive growth in the past five years. Tournaments such as the International Dota 2 tournament – with its $23 million prize pool – exceed, in total prize money, the PGA Masters.
However, these large tournaments are few and far between. Blaine Graboyes, CEO of GameCo, mentioned Thursday at an eSports seminar at G2E that many casinos come to him expecting to host large tournaments and make their revenue from ticket sales. The data, though, shows that only 9% of global eSports revenue in 2017 is from ticket sales. On the other hand, sponsorship and advertising make up more than half.
On the final night of the trip, Villareal and future Rogue General Manager Sean Mulryan, who were working at NME at the time, were treated by Downtown Grand CEO Seth Schorr to a VIP table on stage at XS Nightclub, where electronic dance music superstar Zedd was performing.
There, they hatched a plan
“It’s a new sport for a new medium,” says Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming and the chairman of the Downtown Grand, who’s also a Rogue investor and adviser. “Rogue is the center to build a universe around.”
Since 2015, at least a dozen NBA teams, owners and players have invested heavily in the growing esports market, backing or buying competitive gaming teams around the globe. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, a dot-com pioneer who built a fortune in the tech world, opted for a different route.
ATLANTIC CITY — One of the two new casinos that will be opening at the end of June has partnered with Nevada’s largest sports book to run its sports wagering operation.
Ocean Resort Casino has partnered with William Hill U.S., a London-based sports book that currently operates 115 of Nevada’s 183 books.
ATLANTIC CITY — When the first guests walk through the doors of Ocean Resort Casino on June 28, there is a good chance a member of the Deifik family will be there to greet them.
Family is important to Bruce and Nancy Deifik and son Jordan. And the new owners of the former Revel Casino Hotel believe a focus on treating everyone like they are part of theirs will be the most noticeable difference to guests.
For months, there was little, if any, sign that Atlantic City’s former Revel casino, a $2 billion bust, was getting ready to reopen.
Colorado developer Bruce Deifik bought it in January and made plans for its reincarnation as the Ocean Resort Casino. But there was scant activity visible on the site.
That has changed.
Sixteen days to go and Atlantic City’s Ocean Resort Casino Hotel is racing to get ready. Two thousand slot machines stand in easy-to-use groups, as workmen tinker with roulette tables. Dead center on the casino’s 138,000 square foot floor, a brand-new sports betting parlor takes shape, and will open for wagers when the casino goes live June 28.
The last time there was so much hype about the future of this troubled seaside resort, Donald J. Trump was doing most of the hyping.
The president, then a casino impresario, opened the Trump Taj Mahal, the biggest gambling venue on the boardwalk, with great fanfare and at a cost of $1.2 billion in 1990, only to have it collapse into bankruptcy the following year. After years of decline, it shut down in 2016, seemingly consigned to symbolize the ruinous excess here during the Trump era.
