Harrah’s in New Jersey: A “Favorable Position”
Harrah’s Resort is the crowning achievement of Caesars Entertainment’s foray into Atlantic City. Since opening its doors to the public for the first time in 1980, the once sole inhabitant of AC’s marina dominated New Jersey’s gambling market for a number of years. It would face its only major threat when construction completed on the Borgata in 2003. But instead of buckling under the pressure, Harrah’s continued to expand, opening two new towers in the 2000s that rivaled the Borgata’s own in their luminosity and exquisiteness.
Although the Borgata ultimately won the battle for gambling supremacy, Harrah’s is still the second highest grossing casino in Atlantic City, and is poised to become a major player in New Jersey’s iGaming market.
Harrah’s approach to online gambling
As the parent company to four Atlantic City establishments, Caesars earned the right to apply for four gaming licenses. And while Caesars alignments are still partially shrouded in uncertainty, it’s been announced that Gibraltar-based gaming behemoth 888 Holdings will be involved in at least two of its four licenses, and that Amaya Gaming will provide the real-money platform for Caesars online casino offerings.
It has also been confirmed that Caesars Entertainment has reached an agreement with Wynn Entertainment, permitting Wynn to host online poker servers in a yet to be named Caesars property.
Harrah’s is an integral part of Caesars Entertainment’s online gambling plans, and will undoubtedly become the focal point of its Internet gaming marketing campaign. Expect Harrah’s to rollout its own casino brand (HarrahsNJ.com or similar) and to become affiliated with Caesars own WSOP.com poker brand.
Neither 888 Holdings nor Caesars Entertainment, in conjunction with Harrah’s, have been approved by NJ’s Division of Gaming Enforcement as of yet. The future of Harrah’s online casino and poker site hangs on both entities receiving approval.
If Harrah’s online poker room doesn’t launch on Day 1, it will face a slight disadvantage in Atlantic City’s gambling market, but nothing that should prove insurmountable.
Harrah’s live poker room
According to its website, Harrah’s poker room offers “round the clock Atlantic City poker action.” As evident by the casino’s recent surge into second place in Atlantic City’s poker market, it appears Harrah’s claims carry some truth.
Harrah’s 40-table poker venue is the third largest in AC, trumped only by the Borgata and the Trump Taj Mahal. It spreads a wide variety of games, based on player demand, including NLHE, LHE and 7-Stud, although the most popular offerings are $1/$2 and $2/$5 NLHE.
Tournament and promotional highlights include:
- Three $60 buy-in daily tournaments (12:15 PM, 8:15 PM and the Midnight Turbo)
- Host to WSOP Circuit events (2013’s Main Event will feature a $1,675 buy-in)
- Added comps for Total Rewards members (Sunday – Wednesday)
- A progressive Bad Beat Jackpot
Although Harrah’s plays host to fewer major tournament series per year compared to the Borgata, its WSOP Circuit events draw massive crowds, top name professionals and widely considered one of the east coast’s biggest poker events of the year.
Harrah’s role in the Atlantic City market
Harrah’s is one of the few remaining shining stars in what has become a revenues nightmare for Atlantic City casinos. And while the casino’s revenues have declined steadily over the past several years, its falloff is more indicative of the times than of its ability to provide an enjoyable gambling experience.
Harrah’s is in a unique position to be one of possibly two or three Atlantic City casinos to dominate the Garden State’s upstart iGaming market. Thanks to its affiliation with the WSOP Circuit, and because it will likely use WSOP.com as its poker brand, Harrah’s should be able to capitalize on several cross-promotional opportunities. Similar opportunities are available to the Borgata and bwin.party.
If the aforementioned will be enough to draw gamblers away from the Borgata, or potentially Resorts pending PokerStars is approved by the DGE, and into Harrah’s online poker site ultimately depends on a number of factors. But either way, Harrah’s finds itself in a favorable position as NJ draws closer to the November 26th go-live date.
