Malta-based Evolution is expanding its presence in New Jersey with a new 60,000-square-foot tech center and live dealer studio at the Showboat Resort Atlantic City, as online gambling continues to outpace in-person casino revenue in the state.
The facility will occupy the second floor of the Showboat and include broadcasting studios and related technical functions. Evolution already operates studios at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, Tropicana Atlantic City, and Ocean Casino Resort. Those locations will remain in operation, although some capacity could be consolidated in the future.
“We build broadcasting studios around the world essentially to serve a video stream where players can be on their device, on their phone, wherever they want to,” said Jacob Claesson, CEO North America for Evolution, as reported by The Press of Atlantic City. “In New Jersey, roughly 20% of online gaming is live dealer today, and it’s growing.
“You can have hundreds or thousands of players playing the same game at the same time,” he said.
Online gambling revenue has exceeded revenue from customers physically present at Atlantic City’s nine casinos for three consecutive months, including January, underscoring the shift toward digital gaming.
“Given the challenge of how much we are growing, it’s hard to find a place where we can hold all of these tables in one place,” Claesson said. “That’s why we’ve been kind of forced to be opening up several studios within the city, but it’s all to keep up with that growth.”
Evolution has spent “tens of millions of dollars in Atlantic City,” Claesson said, though neither he nor Showboat owner Bart Blatstein disclosed the cost of the new project or the length of the lease.
Blatstein described the agreement as a significant commercial milestone for the resort. “The largest office use in Atlantic City in many decades,” he said of the lease.
“A 60,000 square-foot office lease is a great get,” he added. “This is all toward my goal of making this a year-round facility, for people to work here, live here, and play here.”
The new studio is expected to employ about 1,200 people once operational. Blatstein estimated that number, while Claesson said, “We could be around that number.” Evolution currently employs about 1,000 people in Atlantic City and is actively hiring for roles including dealers, technicians, camera operators, lighting and audio technicians, carpenters, and human resources staff.
“Live dealer has become a must these days, and we’re kind of fortunate for the position we’re in that we work with all the licensed operators in New Jersey,” Claesson said. “Online gaming is growing, and we’re happy to play our part in that.”
Claesson said he hopes to secure approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and have the facility operating in the second or third quarter of this year.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/02/23/117737-evolution-to-open-60-000squarefoot-live-dealer-studio-at-showboat-atlantic-city
