DraftKings Shuttering Live Dealer Studio in Atlantic City, Will Contract Third Party

Posted on: October 31, 2024, 08:57h. 

Last updated on: October 31, 2024, 10:02h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

DraftKings will close its live dealer studio located inside Atlantic City’s Golden Nugget in January.

DraftKings live dealer studio Atlantic City
A DraftKings online table game dealer. DraftKings is closing its online live dealer studio in the Golden Nugget Atlantic City casino in January 2025. (Image: DraftKings)

DraftKings has operated live dealer table games for online casino players in New Jersey from its Golden Nugget studio since 2022 after the leading iGaming operator acquired Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) for $1.56 billion. First reported by Next.io, a media publishing firm covering the iGaming industry, DraftKings recently filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with New Jersey’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The WARN filing informs the state that the company plans to close its Golden Nugget iGaming studio in January. The shutdown will result in the loss of 101 jobs.

“We are supporting impacted employees to offer a smooth transition for as many as possible,” a DraftKings official told Next.

DraftKings is licensed to operate online slot machines, table games, and sports betting through its partnership with Resorts. DraftKings additionally operates a retail sportsbook at the Boardwalk casino.

Third-Party Transition

DraftKings isn’t folding on its interactive table game offering in the Garden State, but is instead transitioning to a third party.  

As we finalize our GNOG integration, effective January 31, 2025, DraftKings will transition its in-house live dealer operations to third-party studios in Atlantic City. Our live dealer offerings will remain uninterrupted,” the statement explained.

The DraftKings Casino in New Jersey typically offers about 70 live dealer games during nonpeak hours and over 100 during the evenings and weekends. Among the games offered are blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, Sic Bo, and poker.

Though the company didn’t specifically say so, DraftKings will likely move its Golden Nugget live dealer operations to Evolution, the leading interactive live dealer supplier in the legal iGaming space. In May, the Sweden-headquartered gaming tech giant announced its plan to invest $75 million to build an iGaming campus in Atlantic City where it will distribute interactive table game feeds to its interactive customers.

Evolution currently runs iGaming dealer ops from inside Hard Rock, Ocean Casino Resort, and Tropicana. DraftKings already uses Evolution to run some of its live dealer tables. DraftKings also uses Evolution in Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Evolution is combining its Atlantic City operations into a dedicated studio at 2301 Fairmont Ave. The property is currently a paved parking lot across from Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern, an old-school Italian joint that dates back to 1935.

Live dealer online table games have grown quickly in popularity in recent years because of their realism and players’ enjoyment of playing table games inside a brick-and-mortar casino. Many online gamblers say they have higher levels of trust with a live dealer game than they do with computer-operated games.

Market Leader

According to revenue reports supplied by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, DraftKings commands the lion’s share of the iGaming market.

Through September, DraftKings generated 2024 gross gaming revenue (GGR) of more than $375.9 million from remote gamblers inside the Garden State. That tops FanDuel in second place at $360.4 million.

Statewide iGaming GGR during the nine months totaled $1.73 billion, meaning DraftKings holds a nearly 22% market share of New Jersey’s online casino gambling market.