JAY-Z may be “one-take Hov” in the vocal booth, but he needed a few tries to cut through the ceremonial ribbon at the opening of Fanatics Sportsbook.
A ceremony marking the opening of Fanatics Sportsbook at Ocean Casino Resort took place on Sunday (September 15) at the aforementioned casino in Atlantic City.
Hov, a major investor in Fanatics and a partner in Fanatics Sportsbook, was there alongside Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, professional golfer Justin Thomas, Betting & Gaming CEO Matt King and Ocean Casino Resort GM Bill Callahan.
According to reports, Thomas placed the first official post-ribbon-cutting bet at the new establishment, wagering $100 that the Alabama Crimson Tide would win this year’s national championship.
Check the ribbon-cutting with several-cut-Hov below.
JAY-Z cuts the ribbon at the opening of new Fanatics Sportsbook location
via @RocNationpic.twitter.com/2isIwC102T
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) September 15, 2024
Fanatics Sportsbook at Ocean Casino Resort, according to a press release, is a place for sports fans to bet on “all major sports including professional and college football, basketball, hockey, baseball, tennis, soccer, golf, MMA, boxing and more.”
According to Page Six, Hov and Rubin teamed up for an invitation-only blackjack game — along with some NFL watching — later on Sunday to continue the celebration. You can see a photo of a cigar-smoking Hov during the tourney here.
Many of Hov’s other recent blackjack tournaments have been to raise money for his REFORM Alliance organization. JAY is a founding partner of the organization, and Rubin is its current co-chair, alongside Meek Mill.
In September of last year, JAY and Meek threw quite the star-studded bash to raise money for it, and the 007-themed party drew out all the Hip Hop big guns.
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Page Six reported that the blackjack party, held in Atlantic City, NJ, on September 30, 2023, drew out Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian, Lala Anthony, and more. The buy-in was $100,000 per play, with all proceeds going to the criminal justice reform organization.
The night also drew out performances from Quavo and Travis Scott, and other A-listers like Derek Jeter also made an appearance.
Page Six revealed that there were 10 to 15 helicopters chauffeuring guests from New York City airports to Atlantic City throughout the night.
“It was Jay’s idea to make a really small, incredibly exclusive event with the best people in the world,” a source said. “You can’t buy your way into this party.”
