Atlantic City, NJ - Items of Interest
Atlantic City is always changing. Properties are being bought, sold and improved, just like in the game of Monopoly.
Smaller Casino/Hotels in Atlantic City
N.J. lawmakers are consdering legislation that would allow new casinos to be built in Atlantic City that have only 200 hotel rooms. Present laws require at least 500 rooms.
Tropicana
In early March 2010, Carl Icahn completed a $200 million deal, with a Delaware bankruptcy court, to buy the Atlantic City Tropicana Casino and Resort. The new parent company is called Tropicana Entertainment Inc. and will be run by its new president, Mark Giannantonio.
Wind Mills on Steel Pier
The owners of Atlantic City's Steel Pier announced that they intend to place as many as 10 wind turbines, to generate electricity, at the end of Steel Pier which extends 1000 feet into the ocean. They say the wind turbine would be a tourist attraction and generate much of the energy needed to run the amusements on the pier.
Blackjack
Resorts now has Blackjack with $2 minimum bets. They call it "Retro Blackjack," returning to the way it was in 1978.
The Hilton has introduced "Double Deck Pitch Blackjack," played with just two decks instead of the usual eight. Card counters, hurry over!
2010 LPGA ShopRite Classic
The Ladies Professional Golf Association will make a tour stop in Atlantic City when it returns to the Seaview Marriott June 14-20, 2010. The ShopRite Classic, will be a 54-hole event with a $1.5M prize purse.
Atlantic City Restaurant Week
The second annual Atlantic City Restaurant Week takes place on Sunday, February 28 through Saturday, March 6, 2010. During that week more than 60 participating restaurants will offer a multi-course meal for the fixed price of $15.10 for lunch and $33.10 for dinner (not including beverage, tax and gratuity).
Pinnacle Drops Plans for an Atlantic City casino
Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. recently (02/05/2010) stated that they have scrapped plans for an Atlantic City casino and hope to sell its land.
Fishermans Energy Wind Farm
In January 2010 Fishermans Energy Corp. announced plans to build a 20 meagawatt wind farm about three miles offshore from Atlantic City.
The project would consist of six turbines and they would be visible from the Atlantic City boardwalk. They stated that the wind farm would more likely be a tourist draw than an eyesore. The project is planned for completion by October 2011.
Resorts
Resorts had not made a payment on its $360 million mortgage since October 2008. As a result the casino was taken over by its lenders, which include Wells Fargo Bank N.A. The present management team will continue to operate the casino.
Atlantic City Rail Line Traffic
The Atlantic City Rail Line which provides service between Philadelphia and Atlantic City has realized a drop in ridership of 21 percent during the three month period that ended September 30th, 1990.
New Rail Line Terminal
In October, 2009 NJ Transit announced that they will build a new transit center in Pennsauken that will link the Atlantic City Rail Line and the River Line that goes to Trenton. This will make it easier for people who live in the towns served by the River Line to travel to Atlantic City by train.
Trump Atlantic City Casinos
In a September, 2009 bankruptcy settlement with creditors, Donald Trump has given up control of his three casinos in Atlantic City. In the creditors reorganization plan they can continue to use his name but Donald will not be in control. He will receive warrants for 10 percent of the new company after it is reorganized.
Expansion of the Walk
The Walk, the Atlantic City outlet mall will be expanded, adding a dozen new stores. The Walk presently has 105 stores. The new stores will be located across the street from the Atlantic City Convention Center.
The Pier Shops are in Trouble
Taubman Centers Inc., of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who has the mortgage on the Pier Shops at Caesars said it was no longer able to make payments on it's $135 million dollar mortgage. The pier Shops will continue to operate.
Westjet Airline Comes to Atlantic City
Canada-based Westjet Airline has started seasonal airline service between Atlantic City International Airport and Toronto. Seasonal in this case being from October through May.
Sports Betting
In a move that could prove costly to Atlantic City's ailing casino industry, the Delaware State Senate approved a bill on Tuesday May 11, 2009 that would authorize Delaware to become the only state east of the Mississippi River to offer sports betting, sending it to Gov. Jack Markell for his promised signature.
Borgata Smoking Areas
The Borgata is planning to comply with a new law banning smoking on the casino floor by constructing covered outdoor smoking areas, which won't be completely enclosed, in the hopes of keeping loyal customers who smoke. The somoking areas will be heated in the winter.
AirTran Airlines
In June, Discount Airline AirTran will begin twice-daily round trip service between Atlantic City International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is the AirTran Airlines hub. From there passengers can connect via AirTran flights to almost 60 cities.
AirTran will be the second commercial passenger airline serving Atlantic City on a regular basis, the other being Spirit Airline.
Casino Expansion Plans
All of the four megacasino resorts which had planned expansion in Atlantic City have put these plans on hold because of the poor economy and credit crunch.
Hell's Kitchen
The 5th season of the Fox Networks TV show, Hell's Kitchen, was filmed at the Borgata. To see more about "Hell's Kitchen", follow this Link: Hell's Kitchen.
Atlantic City Restaurant Week
Atlantic City Restaurant Week, which will run from March 1 to March 7, 2009, offers diners an opportunity to explore some of Atlantic City's newest, as well as best known restaurants - and to sample a variety of the exceptional dishes prepared by Atlantic City's chefs at incredibly reasonable rates.
To find out more about The Atlantic City Restaurant Week, follow this Link: Restaurant Week
Boardwalk Empire
HBO is planning a series about Atlantic City based on Nelson Johnson's book Boardwalk Empire.
New Spirit Airline Flight to Atlantic City
Spirit Airlines will begin daily flights between Boston MA and Atlantic City NJ on May 1 2009.
Train Service From New York City
NJ Transit and Borgata Hotel & Spa, Caesars Atlantic City and Harrah's Atlantic City have joined forces to to provide weekend express train service between New York City and Atlantic City. This train service started on Feb. 6, 2009. The casinos provide shuttles to meet passengers and bring them to the casinos.
MGM Grand Casino Development in Atlantic City Suspended
MGM Mirage reported third-quarter 2008 net income fell 67% and said it was suspending plans to build a new casino in Atlantic City because of the credit crunch. Chairman and Chief Executive Terry Lanni said The company will halt development until the economy and capital markets "are sufficiently improved.
Smoking Ban Suspendeded
The Atlantic City Council decided to suspend the smoking ban on city casinos that would have taken effect on October 15, 2008 by at least a year.
Goodby Miss America Way
The Miss America Pageant had been held in Atlantic City since 1921. In 2006 the pageant moved to Las Vegas following
a dispute over local funding and network television coverage. The pageant had been remembered in Atlantic City via
"Miss America Way", the name of a block long section of road between the Sheraton Hotel and the Atlantic City Convention
Center. This road is now being renamed "Convention Boulevard".
Bader Field
Bader Field, in Atlantic City, is a former airport. It is a 148 acre strip of land surrounded on three sides by water. The airport was used in the first attempts to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. Bader Field is owned by the City, and is expected to be put up for sale in the near future. To find out more about Bader Field, follow this link: Bader Field
Chelsea Hotel
The new, "non-gaming" hotel, the Chelsea opened in June, 2008. It is located adjacent to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. It was built on the grounds of the Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson motels that had been at that location. The new Chelsea has 330 rooms and 12 suites, with both ocean and bay views.
Airport Parking Garage
In June of 2008, a new indoor parking garage opened at the Atlantic City International Airport. The parking garage is six stories high, and provides 1,370 parking spaces.
Borgata Water Club
The new 800-room "Water Club" tower opened in June of 2008, at the Borgata. The Borgata Water Club has 5 pools and a "Spa in the Sky". The Water Club features signature in-room dining by Manhattan Chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, and shopping at six exclusive boutiques.
Trump Marina Casino to be Sold
Coastal Marina, LLC, a New York-based gaming venture, is to acquire the Trump Marina Hotel Casino from Trump Entertainment resorts, Inc. The resort is to be re-branded as a "Margaritaville™” Marina Resort & Casino.
Link to more about: Margaritaville
New $25,000 Chip
The NJ State Casino Control Commission recently approved the use of a new higher denomination , $25,000, gambling chip. The previous highest denomination chip was $20,000. The new chip is expected to be used on casino high- end tables, where gamblers can bet up to $50,00 at a time.
Harrah's Opens New Waterfront Tower
With the opening of it's new Waterfront Tower, Harrah's now has the the tallest building in Atlantic City at 525 feet, and the most hotel rooms at 2950, most with spectacular views. These new facilities include a tropical-themed pool underneath a 90-foot-high glass dome.
Harrah's Sold
As of Jan. 28 2008, Harrah's is no longer a public company. Harrah's Entertainment Inc. was sold to two private equity firms, Appollo Management L.P. of New York and Texas Pacific Group Capital of Fort Worth Texas, for $27.8 billion. Worldwide, Harrah's owns more than 50 properties that include casinos on land and in ships. The transaction includes four casinos in Atlantic City - Bally's, Caesars, Showboat, and Harrah's Marina.
Tropicana Casino
On December 17th, 2007 the casino commission denied the Columbia-Sussex Corp. a license renewal for the Tropicana Casino. As a result, the Tropicana Casino is up for sale.
Sands Casino Demolished
On October 18th 2007 the Sands Casino was demolished, to make room for a new mega-casino resort. The Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. will develop on the Sands site, at Indiana and Pacific Avenues, a $1.5 billion mega-casino resort scheduled to open in 2012.
Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. have put these plans on hold because ot tight credit markets.
Smoking Ban
In April, the Atlantic City Council voted to impose a total smoking ban on city casinos that would take effect on October 15, 2008. Most of the casinos plan to comply with the smoking ban by building indoor unattended smoking lounges away from the slot machines and gaming tables.