In its heyday, Atlantic City was the absolute go-to place for fun and entertainment, especially during the warmer months. Beaches would be crowded with sunbathers and restaurants would be jam-packed with customers. The city boardwalk would be graced with people from all over the country and from all walks of life, young and old, striding happily up and down the street.
A classic night out in Atlantic City wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t spent at the casino, so much so that, many others made their debut right after Resorts International Casino opened in the summer of 1978 – the first casino to open in Atlantic City after gambling became legal outside of Nevada for the very first time.
But things eventually turned sour for this little sunny seaside town – tourism became on the decline, and employment rates dropped to incredibly low numbers. The city slowly started to die down and with it casinos that had been struggling to survive.
At the height of its popularity, Atlantic City boasted 12 luxurious casinos, but one by one, five shut their doors in a span of a few years – three of which were owned by the current U.S. President, Donald J. Trump. This was largely due to increased competition from gambling halls in neighboring states. A lot of people also lost their jobs in the process, some of them for good.
Before everyone knew it, Atlantic City became a ghost town. It froze in time; it became a specter of what once was a booming seaside town. Construction, in general, had also greatly decreased. In fact, a luxury apartment complex that is currently under construction is the first to be built in Atlantic City in decades.
But now, things are finally starting to look better for this city, and expectations are running high. Two of the shuttered and run-down casinos are having a big comeback in just a few days from now. On the 28th of June, The Trump Taj Mahal and Revel are officially debuting on the same day as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Ocean Resort Casino.
Residents are in high spirit, mostly because, the re-opening of these establishments has provided more than 3,000 people with a job! Second of all, locals are thrilled Atlantic City is finally getting the attention it deserves and have high hopes that these new projects will revive the city and attract tourists.
Needless to say, there has been a lot of controversy about the topic, with many claiming to have doubts about the refurbished casino helping the economy after several unsuccessful attempts that were previously made. However, what is different this time around is that, in Mr. Jim Allen’s words, the CEO of Hard Rock, the re-imagined Trump Taj Mahal will be “an entertainment facility, not just a casino”.
The emphasis for the new Hard Rock establishment will be on providing people with great entertainment on all fronts, and not just gambling. This is not so surprising especially since the company will be venturing into the online world of gambling, launching their very own online casino website.
According to a popular online casino review site, although the company has no prior experience in this industry, it definitely has the knowledge and the power of its brand name to launch itself in the online world and compete against the biggest beasts in the market.
This could, therefore, be one reason why Hard Rock’s plans for their hotel & casino in Atlantic City are more focused on other forms of entertainment as well as excellent dining experiences rather than just gambling.
In fact, Hard Rock already announced earlier this year that there will be 300 acts during the first year of operation, which will include over 200 nights of live music featuring famous stars like Frankie Vallie, Steve Byrne, Blake Shelton and Kid Rock in the entertainment lineup for 2018.
With only a few more days to go, the level of excitement is really building up, and all of American is curious to see what these billion dollar establishments can do to bring Atlantic City to its former days of glory. With a company like Hard Rock taking the lead, we’re definitely expecting some good numbers.
