Posted on: October 17, 2023, 09:46h.
Last updated on: October 17, 2023, 09:47h.
Dave & Buster’s is approaching its official opening in Atlantic City.
The restaurant and entertainment chain that’s popular with families announced its plans to open a location in Atlantic City over a year ago. After initially targeting a fall 2023 opening, officials with Dave & Buster’s now state that the restaurant and arcade will open sometime in early December.
Dave & Buster’s is taking over the former nightclub called the 40/40 Club, previously owned by Jay Z. The nightclub, once popular among celebrities, closed in 2013. Other 40/40 clubs in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Brooklyn have also closed.
Located within the Tanger Outlets shopping complex at 2120 Atlantic Avenue, the roughly 21,000-square-foot facility is just a block inland from Caesars Atlantic City.
Dave & Buster’s, a publicly traded company, will replace Jay Z’s nightclub decor with its sports bar and grille, arcade games, and numerous televisions showing live sports.
Family Focus
Like Las Vegas, Atlantic City is striving to diversify its local economy beyond just gambling. To keep its casino hotel rooms occupied during the winter months, resorts and businesses in the area are investing heavily in non-gaming attractions.
Bart Blatstein, the owner of Showboat, and his Philadelphia-based real estate company Tower Investments, are leading the effort to attract non-gambling travelers. In June, Blatstein opened a $100 million waterpark at his Boardwalk resort, featuring 11 water slides, a wave and surf simulator, a lazy river, a waterfall, and an adventure pool.
The Showboat is also home to the self-proclaimed “largest indoor arcade in America,” which replaced the casino space when it was operated by Caesars Entertainment.
The “Lucky Snake” is an 85,000-square-foot complex with over 300 arcade games and an indoor go-kart raceway where drivers can reach speeds of up to 25 mph.
With Dave & Buster’s opening just steps away from the Atlantic City Boardwalk, families will have another reason to visit the shore.
Dave & Buster’s is also a major sponsor of the UFC and showcases its pay-per-view events in specially designated viewing areas at its locations. The restaurant and arcade chain currently has over 140 locations in North America.
Social Sportsbook
Although Dave & Buster’s is a popular spot for sports fans to watch their favorite teams, the Atlantic City location will not offer an on-site sportsbook. However, since New Jersey allows legal online sports betting, guests will be able to place wagers on their smartphones.
In 2021, Dave & Buster’s considered entering the sports betting industry through a partnership with a third-party operator like DraftKings. This announcement came as competitors such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooter’s signed sportsbook partnerships.
Ultimately, Dave & Buster’s decided against pursuing a real money sports betting relationship and instead partnered with Gambit Sports for a social sports wagering experience.
Dave & Buster’s integrated the Gambit product into its Rewards app. Players can place free, fun money bets on sports to win arcade tickets. Gambit provides players with a set number of free tokens for betting. Users who run out of tokens can purchase more to continue their wagering in hopes of winning free plays for arcade games.