The last time there was so much hype about the future of this troubled seaside resort, Donald J. Trump was doing most of the hyping.
The president, then a casino impresario, opened the Trump Taj Mahal, the biggest gambling venue on the boardwalk, with great fanfare and at a cost of $1.2 billion in 1990, only to have it collapse into bankruptcy the following year. After years of decline, it shut down in 2016, seemingly consigned to symbolize the ruinous excess here during the Trump era.
Sixteen days to go and Atlantic City’s Ocean Resort Casino Hotel is racing to get ready. Two thousand slot machines stand in easy-to-use groups, as workmen tinker with roulette tables. Dead center on the casino’s 138,000 square foot floor, a brand-new sports betting parlor takes shape, and will open for wagers when the casino goes live June 28.
The whirl of buzz saws and the thump, thump, thump of hammers was in full force on Tuesday as the Ocean Resort continued to put together what it pledges will be the sharpest sportsbook in Atlantic City.
If nothing else, you can’t beat its location.
For months, there was little, if any, sign that Atlantic City’s former Revel casino, a $2 billion bust, was getting ready to reopen.
Colorado developer Bruce Deifik bought it in January and made plans for its reincarnation as the Ocean Resort Casino. But there was scant activity visible on the site.
That has changed.
