The COVID-19 pandemic has left a trail of businesses lying at a standstill in its wake. Schools, markets, and all entertainment outlets ceased operations like never seen before. Even back-alley activities, clubs, and high-end casinos all shut down in a bid to curb the spread of Coronavirus.
However, deep within Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino lies a sealed-off room. From the outside, you can hear the reels found on slots machines moving. Could it be that the casino defied the state orders and secretly hosts gamblers in the room?
Well, that would be absurd. As it turns out, the company outdid itself by introducing Hard Rock NJ Live slots – the very first live slots online gaming experience exclusive to players in New Jersey. The company partnered with the Israeli-based internet gaming company, Softweave Ltd. that took it upon themselves to create a world where patrons could play slots from the comfort of their home.
Just to be clear though, these are the physical brick and mortar machines and not virtual machines found in most online platforms.
How does it work?
The technology uses some strategically placed true depth cameras that act as your eyes to show you the screen of the slot machines in real-time. The controls are accessible on your smartphone via the Hard Rock Casino app or via a computer upon signing up.
The program, which reportedly took them six years to develop syncs with the machines upon command and responds in real-time. The room is also well lit and inaccessible to non-qualified personnel – not that the public is around anyway.
The company announced its innovation through Kresimir Spajic, the Senior Vice President of Online Gaming and Sports Betting at Hard Rock international via a Monday morning press briefing on February 10th, 2020.
“We are excited to announce an entirely new way to play floor favorites without being there.” He continued, “With Live Slots, you can control real, physical slot machines located at Hard Rock Atlantic City using your PC, Mac, tablet, or mobile device from anywhere in New Jersey.”
How to play
To partake in this ground-breaking innovative technology, you’d have to:
- Be physically present within the state of New Jersey. This makes it easier to access the slot machines located across from Fresh Harvest Buffet.
- Next, download the Hard Rock app available both on the Google Play Store on Android and iOS on iPhone.
- If you’re using a PC or Mac, log onto their site and sign up for an account if you don’t have one already. You can do this via the Wild card sign up or opt for a regular account.
- Once you’re in, pick any game and wait for your turn. Since there are limited machines currently in use, chances are you might find them full. You will notice this with the Play button greyed out after which the app should notify you when one of the machines is available for use.
Note that upon pressing, it should take the system about 1 second to process your request. Avid gamers used to fast refresh rates would probably be the first to notice the system lag, but if you aren’t, then chances are that you won’t even see it. By comparison, live TV footage is usually six seconds old by the time it gets to your TV screens.
What is Available to play?
Upon sign up on the Hard Rock Casino NJ site, the company is generous enough to offer you 50 free spins as well as access to the Live Slots 15k leaderboard, double comp, and tier points. At a glance, you should find the titles of the available highly recognized games such as Leprecoins, Buffalo, Spitfire Multipliers, Hotter than Blaze, and 3 x 4 x 4 x Double Times Play.
Spajic was also confident to report on the technology as the first of its kind experience not available anywhere else on the globe; but is it though?
Meet Golden Nugget, the leading NJ online casino
A few years ago, back on August 4th, 2016 if memory serves me right, I came across the launch of the Golden Nugget’s live dealer studio which functions almost the same as Hard Rock’s NJ live casino.
For those who are not aware, Hard Rock International currently trails Golden Nugget as the leading online casino. It reportedly generated $17.2 million worth of revenue in December alone and $177 million in the whole of last year from online games.
The branch in Marina District, Atlantic City only covers 2500 square feet and shares its live dealer studio with other top brands. They include Betfair NJ Online Casino and BetAmerica casino. There are a number of seats surrounding a table with more games playable online. These include:
Like the Hard Rock casino, a camera also exists and captures the main roulette wheel from up above. However, unlike the Hard Rock casino, players online do not physically control anything.
The upside to this is that there are unlimited players who can participate in the live dealer games. A normal blackjack table may accommodate only eight players, but for Golden Nuggets, the numbers per session can go as high up to hundreds.
What makes Hard Rock NJ live slots better?
Most people, particularly those fond of slots machines, detach themselves from playing the same games online. Their reasons being that there is probably some tweaked algorithm that keeps them from winning.
That said, giving them a chance to control a real-life slot machine that they are used to eliminates all doubts on tricks and potential schemes. Even the president of Hard Rock Atlantic City acknowledged this in a statement;
“Credibility and transparency have been paramount to seeing online gaming moving forward. The difference between seeing a computer image, as opposed to the kind of machine that a customer has been playing for years, maybe easier to understand.”
Behind the company Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City may not be a recent establishment, but its hand in online games only began in June 2018. Since then, it has shown giant leaps by earning $22.5 million in 2019, making it the sixth most active online gaming operator in the region.
It sits on 17 acres of land with excellent scenery. Once inside the hotel section, you are met with world-class restaurants, lounges, and all sorts of entertainment. For sports and recreation, you can look forward to its Body Rock Fitness center, indoor pool, spa, and salon.
There is also a thrill for the daring types with the casino boasting of well over 2200 slot machines, 120 game tables, and much more suited to your needs. Sadly, all these services remain closed for now. The only service operational is its live slots machines found on the second floor.
Within the platform, you can also find other sports, free tales, and the creative Wheel of Rock System. The games are available for play with Rock Coins which generate wild card rewards redeemable for cash and services. You can use it to pay for your hotel room, meals, and dining within the hotel.
Behind the company Softweave Ltd.
Softweave Ltd. Based in Netanya, HaMerkaz, Israel is fairly older than Hard Rock and has been in operation for nearly ten years. Established back in June 1st, 2010 by Doron Shavit, the company has done its very best to offer integration services to its providers in developing high-quality HTML 5 games. To others such as Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, it’s done its best to integrate E-commerce services, and gambling in live dealer studios, live poker, and of course live slots.
Other Live games playable on HardRockCasino.com
According to sources, the company partnered up with Evolution Gaming to deliver some of the best games in the market. Aside from the ones mentioned, you can also get live dealer games such as Live Blackjack and Live Roulette. Both are in real-time and are run by a real human dealer.
For as little as $0.10 or $1, you can participate in Live Roulette and experience the thrill of American Wheels with sounds and video. On the other hand, if you have more to stake, Hard Rock’s Live Blackjack lets you stake as little as between $5 to $20 and a maximum of between $1000 to $2500.
As other Casinos in other states such as Texas plan on reopening their doors soon, Hard Rock Casinos make the most of their online presence by improving on their services. What started out with 12 machines limited to New Jersey residents could as well be expanded to more machines to accommodate more users. Similarly, there are plans underway to incorporate users from other states which is a step in the right direction.
