Ahead of their planned premieres in the summer, the new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City and the Ocean Resort Casino have reportedly been ‘working closely’ with the New Jersey gaming regulator so as to make sure that they meet their self-imposed opening-day deadlines. According to a report from The Press of Atlantic City newspaper, the revelation from David Rebuck, Director for the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, comes as both venues continue to hire suitable employees and work on having their casino licenses approved on time. Rebuck reportedly stated that his office has been assisting both properties as they ‘go through the regulatory process in preparation for the expected casino openings this year’, which has included help on ‘licensing matters’ alongside ‘ensuring operational systems such as floor layouts, gaming equipment, security, surveillance and staffing’ comply with current regulatory standards.
Previously known as the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, the 2,000-room Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City is owned by Boardwalk 1000, which encompasses American casino operator Hard Rock International alongside investors Jack Morris and Joe Jingoli, and is to have its gambling facilities run by an entity known as HR Atlantic City. The newspaper reported that the Boardwalk property recently hosted a jobs fair that attracted some 3,000 people while its new President, Matt Harkness, explained that his office had already hired some 120 employees. Alongside its more traditional career events, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City is reportedly moreover asking prospective employees to use a bespoke website in order to apply for jobs online with qualified applicants subsequently receiving call-backs.
“The positions that we are posting are receiving positive feedback,” Harkness reportedly told The Press of Atlantic City. The newspaper additionally reported that the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City is well in front of the 1,399-room Ocean Resort Casino, which was previously known as the Revel Atlantic City and then TEN Atlantic City, in terms of the casino licensing process as it was issued with a statement of compliance in 2015. This purportedly means that it will soon have all areas of its operation investigated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement before the regulator passes on its findings to the state’s Casino Control Commission.
“The regulators will be trying to expedite the process,” Steven Ingis, a long-time employee of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission who now works as Legal and Regulatory Services Vice-President for local consultancy Spectrum Gaming Group, reportedly told The Press of Atlantic City. “They will check your education. People have been denied for putting down inaccurate information.” Daniel Heneghan, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, reportedly told the newspaper that his agency is ‘confident’ that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement will ‘complete its investigations’ and submit its final report ‘in a timely manner’. “Once it does, the [New Jersey Casino Control] Commission is prepared to hold hearings and make our decisions as expeditiously as possible,” Heneghan reportedly told the Press of Atlantic City.
