Ballys Atlantic City to Receive WSOP Themed Poker Room
World Series of Poker officials are looking to expand their footprint on the Atlantic City gambling market. Earlier today, officials announced that a WSOP themed poker room would be included as part of renovations to Ballys Atlantic City.
WSOP.com has proven to be one of the most successful online poker brands in Atlantic City and is currently #2 behind Borgata/Party. The renovations to Bally’s Wild Wild West casino will help officials expand brand awareness while bringing necessary improvements to the AC property.
According to the press release, the new WSOP poker room will offer both tournament tables and 42 cash game tables. Other amenities offered for players include free WiFi service, over 20 HDTV’s with all major sporting events being broadcast, and free cell phone charging stations.
One new feature of the casino is the “Party Pit.” The Party Pit will feature a dance floor and stage across from the Mountain Bar and will play host to cover bands from around the area. Some names you can expect to see there include the Bobby Lynch Band, Slamm, Big Bang Baby, Dirty Whiskey Duo, and much more.
According to Kevin Ortzman, the Senior VP and GM for Ballys, “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.
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.”
Now that Bally’s poker room features the WSOP brand, one has to wonder if this puts them in line for a circuit stop during the 2014-2015 season. Harrah’s AC has been host to a circuit stop the last few years. Even if a circuit stop isn’t awarded to Bally’s, other promotions tied to both WSOP.com and Bally’s could be held in the future.
One also has to wonder whether this is a preemptive strike by Harrah’s following PokerStar’s attempt to build a poker room. Since PokerStars will likely not be live in New Jersey for the next couple of years, this gives WSOP.com plenty of time to establish a customer base and quell the impact of what is likely an eventual PokerStars invasion.