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High-limit slots are getting a $14 million upgrade at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City.
The New Jersey casino said Thursday it will expand and redesign The Cove, its high-limit slot room, with the new version planned for early 2027. The rebuilt room will span 11,935 square feet, roughly 60% bigger than it is now. It will hold more than 192 machines from Aristocrat, Light & Wonder, IGT and other manufacturers.
Ocean said the project is a response to demand for high-end slots on its floor. The Cove is also one piece of a broader plan to add slot units across the casino.
The Cove isn’t an old room, either. It opened Dec. 28, 2020, at 7,450 square feet with more than 140 machines.
So Ocean is rebuilding it after less than six years. With about 4,500 more square feet and roughly 50 more machines than the original.
Who owns Ocean Casino Resort now?
Ocean opened on the Boardwalk in 2018, in the building that once housed Revel.
Detroit-based Ilitch Gaming bought half of the property in 2021 and closed on the other half Aug. 3, after approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Ilitch also runs MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit.
In June, it agreed to acquire Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville, Mississippi, a deal still pending regulatory approval.
The Cove announcement lands two months after Ilitch took full control.
Why high-limit slots in Atlantic City?
Because slots are the business. In August, machines produced $222.4 million of the $294.9 million Atlantic City’s nine casinos won from in-person gambling, about 75% of the total, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Ocean ranked third in town that month at $44.5 million, though that was down 13% from August 2025, the steepest drop in the market. Slots accounted for $33.9 million of it.
The year has been kinder. Through eight months, Ocean’s $329.9 million is up 5.4%, the second-largest gain among Atlantic City casinos.
What’s changing inside The Cove
The new room will sit next to Ocean’s Asian table games area. The game mix covers:
- Slots
- Linked games
- Progressive-style titles
- Video poker
Ocean said the space will add specialized cocktail service with an expanded drink menu, seating areas, dedicated restrooms and its own cashier booths. The look borrows from the ocean outside: wave-shaped details, light oak, marble, brushed gold and layered blues.
Ocean General Manager Bill Callahan said in a news release that the casino has “expanded the space while elevating every aspect of the environment, from the design and gaming offerings to the service and amenities.”
It joins a growing list of premium rooms at the property. There’s a High Limit Table Games area. There’s The Loft, a 2,000-square-foot private gaming suite 44 stories up. And there’s an Asian gaming space that Ocean said recently doubled to 8,000 square feet and 32 tables.
Atlantic City casinos keep spending in 2026
Ocean has company.
Hard Rock Atlantic City said in February it would put $50 million into renovations, mostly hotel rooms and suites, but also new casino floor carpeting, with most of the work done by the end of the year.
Golden Nugget Atlantic City finished its own floor refresh in April, adding a Lightning Link Lounge and 17 new slot machines.
Ocean’s version is narrower. And aimed squarely at the players who bet the most per spin.
The new Cove doesn’t have an opening date beyond early 2027. When it does open, those players get about 4,500 more square feet to play in.
