Ocean Online Casino Launched in New Jersey
A new online casino has hit the market in New Jersey. Today, Ocean Online Casino officially went live as the newest gambling site open for business in the Garden State.
After quietly opening going live last night, Ocean Resort Atlantic City issued a formal press release earlier today confirming it is now open for business. Ocean Online Casino will be running in “soft launch” phase with limited operating hours through the rest of this week and the weekend before going into full launch mode next week.
Ocean Online Casino debuted in New Jersey with a library of 49 slots plus blackjack, roulette and a handful of video poker machines, but has plans to significantly increase its offering after getting its footing as New Jersey’s newest online casino.
London-based GAN plc will be managing things behind the scenes as Ocean Resort’s online gaming software provider. With 15 years in business, GAN is already well-established both in the US and abroad as a supplier of both real money and simulated gaming solutions.
One of GAN’s specialties beyond providing online games is working closely with casinos to deepen the relationship between operators and their customers. To this end, GAN will be linking Ocean Casino’s existing loyalty program to the new Ocean Resort Online loyalty program.
The benefit to customers is an all-encompassing rewards program for the actual Atlantic City casino and Ocean Online. For instance, Ocean Resort customers in Atlantic City can earn points on-property and then redeem them online, or earn points online and redeem them on-property.
First Look at Ocean Online Casino
Ocean Resort Online Casino is now officially open for business. Customers from New Jersey may begin playing for real money while everyone else can visit the website to try the games in demo mode.
The casino is still in its early launch phases, so game selection is still limited to about 60 games. A few familiar slots that we have seen elsewhere are available for real money play today, but Ocean Resort looks like it has a good number of exclusive titles as well. One tab on the Ocean Online website is reserved specifically for digital editions of actual slots that can be found on the Ocean Resort floor in Atlantic City.
The casino has opened with a $125 welcome bonus awarded in increments designed to encourage players to try different game types. For example, players can get $10 to play slots, $10 to play table games, $10 to play video poker and so on.
One piece of the welcome bonus consists of a $25 free play bonus for use at the Ocean Resort in Atlantic City. This seems to be a preview of things to come regarding GAN’s plans to merge online and real-world rewards for Ocean Resort customers.
The Ocean Casino website also offers customers the biggest first deposit bonus yet in New Jersey, allowing players to get up to $10,000 in bonus funds.
Online Sports Betting Set for Fall 2018
In its press release, GAN also announced plans to implement online sports betting at Ocean Resort Online by Q4 2018, provided they have their “customary commercial and regulatory approvals” in place.
In fact, today marks the first day online sports betting could have gone live in New Jersey. Temporary regulations signed by Governor Murphy on June 11th allowing New Jersey casinos and race tracks to begin accepting wagers stipulated a 30-day waiting period before online betting may commence.
That 30-day wait officially ended today, but none of New Jersey’s online casinos were ready to go live. Casinos must have an active sportsbook before taking wagers online. The Borgata, Meadowlands Racetrack and Ocean Resort Casino all meet that qualification, but none have gone live with online betting – yet.
Meadowlands Park should also begin taking sports wagers in-person on Saturday. That means as of next week, there will be at least four properties in New Jersey that could theoretically being taking bets online. How long we actually have to wait depends on how quickly those properties can get all their ducks in a row and receive approval from the state.
In any case, online sports betting is coming to New Jersey and it won’t be too much longer. Odds are at least some casinos are aiming to be ready to take online wagers in time for the upcoming NFL season.
Mike Murphy is the founder of BettingUSA.com and has over 10 years of experience in the legal gambling industry. A regular attendee of industry trade shows and conferences, Mike is a strong proponent in the idea of a well regulated online betting industry.
