Bruce Deifik was close to tears Thursday as he reflected on an arduous journey that began with a $10 million investment on an unseen property in an unfamiliar city.
“Now the work truly starts,” said Deifik, owner and chairman of Ocean Resort Casino, after the Casino Control Commission granted the new owner of the former Revel Casino Hotel a license, exactly one week before the property is scheduled to open to the public. Deifik said that after a “very hard 13 months,” to finally be granted a casino license was a “dream come true for myself and my entire family.”
The casino is scheduled to open at 1 p.m. June 28. The licensure came with a list of conditions laid out by state regulators at the Division of Gaming Enforcement. The 26 conditions address the property’s financial resources and its relationship with one of its lenders, JPMorgan Chase, in an effort to ensure Ocean Resort does not fall victim to the economic challenges that doomed its predecessor.