RIGHT: A lobby entrance to the Showboat complex is often eerily quiet since the hotel doesn't offer gambling anymore. Still operating as a hotel, its gaming floor is now repurposed Patrick McBride works on a horror exhibit for a convention.

LEFT: The Showboat was one of four Atlantic City casinos to close in 2014. She doesn't miss the days when her hands would get black from handling coins, but she also says casinos should not just be geared to young people.

TOP: Joan Carnan, 84, plays video poker at the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City. “Where can you go at 2 in the afternoon to find a good time?” Darrell Blevins asked. They and their friends were aimless and restless: They wanted to sit by a pool or hang out at a day club or really do anything besides sitting inside a casino. While its monolithic properties aim to transform the oceanfront, many visitors find it difficult to entertain themselves during the day.ĭarrell and Darnell Blevins were walking around on a recent rainy Wednesday afternoon, twins up from Baltimore up to celebrate their 29th birthday. Unlike its bigger sister in Nevada, it is a frigid wasteland for a significant stretch of the year, the Boardwalk whipped with ocean wind and the litter-strewn beach unbearable. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University.ĭespite the building boom, Atlantic City faces significant hurdles on the road to economic recovery. aren’t looking to make gambling their primary motive of going to a particular destination or resort,” said Rummy Pandit, executive director of the Lloyd D.

At the Hard Rock, Carrie Underwood and Pitbull are scheduled to perform on opening weekend, while Ocean Resort will offer a driving range and large spa, its property newly embracing the beachfront. The venues are following a trend that has dominated the gaming industry but has been elusive here: making themselves as much about entertainment as gambling.Ītlantic City’s casinos have long hoped to move away from the city’s typical clientele - senior citizens who arrive on packed buses - toward young people more interested in hitting a nightclub, splurging on a meal or spending a day at the spa than putting their paychecks on the line at a craps table. He said he's optimistic about the city's future.įour decades after gambling first transformed this oceanside resort, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and the Ocean Resort Casino are both slated to debut on June 28, the first time two casinos will open here on the same day. Frank Gilliam was sworn in as the mayor of Atlantic City earlier this year.

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