Mark Wahlberg brought a priest on Saturday to bless his latest venture, Ocean Resort Casino, opening June 28 in Atlantic City, NJ.
The actor, who goes to church regularly, is an investor in the casino hotel that opened in 2012 as the Revel before it went bankrupt.
The resort, bought by Bruce Deifik and undergoing a $175 million renovation, will feature an outpost of Marky Mark’s Wahlburgers restaurant chain and a nightclub called HQ that will accommodate 1,200 revelers.
Wahlberg, wearing a diamond-encrusted crucifix, toured the property with the Rev. Jon Thomas, of the Parish of St. Monica, who blessed the facilities with prayers and holy water.
A source told me that Wahlberg, in gratitude, made a donation toward the restoration of the parish’s landmark St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church.