Caesars Entertainment Atlantic City is hoping that their recent investment with the city’s Bally’s Wild, Wild West is one that will market the casino towards a fresh and younger crowd. The growth of online gambling has also siphoned popularity from many land-based establishments. To counter the industry’s diverging trends, Caesars announced that part of their $1 million in improvements will go towards a World Series of Poker (WSOP)-themed room inside of Bally’s.
High-Tech Features
The new Bally’s WSOP land-based Poker Room seems to provide a physical representation of the highly recognized WSOP.com brand, and will incorporate the well-known images throughout the casino. To keep things fresh, the room will also include a number of technological bells and whistles. Tournament tables and 42 live cash game tables are being installed, including a separate high-limit room.
Renovations are taking place on the casino’s current poker room, located on the sixth floor of the property. The space can be expanded to allow for 80 tables for live tournaments. In fact, Bally’s will host the WSOP Tournament of Champions circuit event in May, with hosting for future events planned as well. The WSOP room is meant to have a luxurious feel with a focus on customer and player experience. In keeping with that vision, complimentary WiFi will be available for players as well as free phone-charging stations, and over 20 HDTV’s with access to local and national sports packages are placed throughout the room. The addition of free WiFi will certainly enable customers to play on or offline with ease.
A New Casino Experience
Renovations to the Wild, Wild West will also include an entertainment stage for bands and other live performances. Called the Party Pit and located closer to the Boardwalk, this new stage is located directly across from the Mountain Bar, where the 24/7 happy hour is king. Popular cover bands such as Bobby Lynch Band, Dirty Whiskey Duo and Johnny Drama will take the stage at the Party Pit. There will be 12 table games added to the area, injecting some fresh energy onto the floor.
Wild, Wild West will also have new food and beverage selections courtesy of Wild About Wings that can be delivered to players directly at their tables in the WSOP room. Bally’s will reopen the Pacific Avenue entrance of the casino, which will be used to attract poker players by giving them direct access to rooms without having to walk through the casino’s floor.
“Poker players like convenience. They don’t want to have to walk very far,” said Freddie Niceta, vice president of Caesars.
Evolving the Bally’s Name
As online gaming’s pull grows, land-based casinos have to evolve in the face of decline. Caesars and Bally’s senior vice president and general manager Kevin Ortzman recognizes that his competition isn’t just exclusive to Atlantic City. Standing out among other properties and incorporating the virtual poker world is a definite play for more attention from players.
“The Wild, Wild West provides locals and visitors alike with a truly unique experience of branded entertainment, gaming, and unparalleled excitement, so with these latest additions the property can now lay claim to a top-notch poker room and a game-changing party pit,” said Ortzman, in reference to the WSOP room and other renovations. “We believe this development will forever evolve the face of poker in Atlantic City and expand our ability to provide guests with the highest quality of gaming and live entertainment opportunities available.
