Ocean Casino Resort
Atlantic City’s tallest tower, with a sleek floor and a sky-high salon
The most modern hotel product in Atlantic City and a stylish, well-regulated casino with standout high-limit spaces. The lack of a confirmed live poker room holds its casino score back.
The glass tower at the north end of the Boardwalk has had an eventful life. It opened in 2012 as Revel, an ambitious and expensive resort that closed just two years later, and it sat dark until it reopened as Ocean Resort Casino in 2018. Since then it has settled into its role as Atlantic City’s most contemporary casino resort: bright, oceanfront and noticeably newer in feel than most of its neighbors. In 2026 Ilitch Gaming, the Detroit-based family company that bought a half stake in 2021, completed its purchase of the remaining share and became the sole owner.
Ocean is a commercial casino regulated under New Jersey’s long-established and strict framework, overseen by the Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Casino Control Commission. For visitors, that means a firm 21-plus age limit, clear ID procedures and one of the most developed statewide self-exclusion systems in the United States.
01Rooms & suites
Rooms are the strongest in Atlantic City. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the ocean or the city, interiors are clean-lined and contemporary, and bathrooms are generous. Because the tower is the tallest structure in the city, higher floors give panoramic views up and down the coast; ocean-view categories are well worth the premium.
Suites add living space and, in some cases, wraparound views. The tower’s size means a long elevator ride at busy times, and some guests report that corridors can be noisy on weekend nights when the nightclub lets out. Check resort fees and parking charges when you book.
02Dining & bars
Ocean’s restaurant roster includes a steakhouse, Asian and Italian rooms, a buffet-style option and a range of quick-service outlets on the casino level. Bars are a big part of the experience: cocktail lounges near the floor, a sports bar tied to the sportsbook and a nightclub that makes Ocean one of the city’s nightlife centers.
Quality is consistently good without reaching the heights of the best big-city dining. The wider Boardwalk and nearby Atlantic City neighborhoods add plenty of alternatives within a short walk or ride.
03Pools, spa & beach
The resort has indoor and seasonal outdoor pool areas, a full-service spa and direct access to the beach and Boardwalk. In summer, beach days and the outdoor pool deck give Ocean a genuine resort feel; out of season, the indoor facilities carry the load.
There is no golf on site and the leisure offer is thinner than at the destination resorts in our set, which is why this criterion scores lowest for Ocean.
04Entertainment
A large concert venue brings headline acts, and the nightclub and lounges keep the resort busy late. The Boardwalk itself is a form of entertainment, with its arcades, piers and ocean views. Atlantic City’s calendar of beach concerts, boxing and festivals adds to the options in the warmer months.
Ocean is well placed for walking the northern Boardwalk and for visiting the city’s other casinos by car or jitney, which makes it a good base for a comparison weekend.
05Getting there
Atlantic City International Airport has limited service; most air travelers use Philadelphia International, about an hour’s drive away. Many visitors drive from Philadelphia, New York and the Mid-Atlantic via the Atlantic City Expressway or the Garden State Parkway. NJ Transit runs trains and buses to Atlantic City.
The resort sits on 20 oceanfront acres at the north end of the Boardwalk, a short ride from the city’s marina district.
A sleek oceanfront floor with Atlantic City’s highest gaming salon
Ocean’s casino is one of the most attractive in Atlantic City: bold patterned carpets, warm lighting and a layout that feels open rather than maze-like. Natural light is limited on the main floor, as in most casinos, but the high-limit salon on an upper floor offers some of the most dramatic ocean views of any gaming room in the United States.
The resort describes nearly 2,000 slot machines and about 130 table games. The main weakness, from a pure casino perspective, is poker: we could not confirm an active live poker room, and some recent sources suggest there is none. Card players should check before they travel.
The gaming floor
The main floor spreads across a single broad level with clear sightlines, grouped slot banks and a central pit. The atmosphere is energetic in the evenings, with live entertainment near the bars. New Jersey law has long allowed smoking on up to a quarter of a casino floor, and that exemption remained in place as of late 2026 despite continuing court challenges and pending legislation, so expect designated smoking areas.
Table games
The table game list is broad: blackjack in several variants, craps, roulette, mini-baccarat and EZ Baccarat, face-up pai gow poker, heads-up hold’em, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud and other carnival games. As always, rules and payouts differ by table and minimums rise at peak times.
Poker room
We could not verify that a live poker room with dealt hold’em and Omaha cash games is currently operating at Ocean. The resort’s own casino pages list house-banked poker variants such as heads-up hold’em and Let It Ride rather than a poker room, and at least one recent review states that live poker is unavailable. Borgata and other nearby Atlantic City casinos run established poker rooms.
Slots & video poker
Around 2,000 machines cover reel-spinning, video reel and video poker games. The Cove, a high-limit slot room of roughly 7,450 square feet with more than 140 machines, adds dedicated cocktail service, private restrooms and its own cage.
Sportsbook
The retail sportsbook, operated by Fanatics since 2024, sits in The Gallery, a large bar-and-gaming space with an elevated bar, video walls and betting windows plus self-service terminals. New Jersey sports wagering is 21-plus and is overseen by the Division of Gaming Enforcement.
High-limit areas & rewards
High-limit play is Ocean’s standout. Alongside a main-floor high-limit table area and The Cove for slots, The Loft sits high in the tower with floor-to-ceiling ocean views, a genuinely memorable setting for high-limit table games. The Ocean Rewards program tracks play and non-gaming spend.
Bingo & keno
Ocean does not operate a bingo hall, and we found no dedicated keno lounge. Players interested in those games will find more options at the tribal casinos in our set.
Rules & entry
| Minimum age | 21 for all gaming and sports wagering, and to be on the casino floor. |
|---|---|
| ID | Valid government-issued photo ID; expect checks at entrances and for jackpots. |
| Regulators | New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and New Jersey Casino Control Commission. |
| Owner | Ilitch Gaming. |
| Smoking | Permitted in designated areas of the floor under the state’s casino exemption (subject to change). |
| Exclusion | New Jersey’s statewide self-exclusion list, administered by the Division of Gaming Enforcement, covers Atlantic City casinos. |
New Jersey’s self-exclusion list is voluntary but binding: people on it may not collect winnings and can be removed from casino premises.
Need to talk? National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-GAMBLER
What works
- Best rooms in Atlantic City
- Standout high-limit spaces, including The Loft
- Strict, transparent New Jersey regulation
What doesn’t
- No confirmed live poker room
- Designated smoking areas on the floor
- Thin leisure offer out of season
Caveats
- Room and floor figures come from press reports and the operator.
- Poker availability could change; confirm directly.
- The casino smoking exemption is the subject of ongoing litigation and legislation.
Gambling is entertainment, never income.
Every casino game has a built-in house edge. Set a budget and a time limit before you play, never chase losses, and stop if it stops being fun. Minimum ages depend on the jurisdiction.
- National Problem Gambling Helpline (US)1-800-GAMBLER
- National Council on Problem Gambling (US)ncpgambling.org
- Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling1-888-789-7777
- New York HOPEline1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369)
- South Africa National Responsible Gambling Programme0800 006 008