How ready are nursing homes for the COVID-19 vaccines, really? ATLANTIC CITY — Since reopening in early July, there have been 251 reported positive cases of the novel coronavirus among those who work at a casino, with more than 60%.

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• Are The Casinos In Atlantic City Open
• How Many Casinos Are In Atlantic City In 2019
• How Many Casinos Are In Atlantic City
• Atlantic City Casino News Update
• How Many Casinos Are In Atlantic City Now

After managing to remain open as multiple casinos closed up shop along the once iconic Atlantic City boardwalk, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort will meet the same fate, closing its flashy, extravagant doors after Labor Day.

Yesterday’s announcement makes the casino, once dubbed the 'eighth greatest wonder in the world,' the fifth to close in Atlantic City since 2014. Four casinos shuttered within that year, all but ending the resort town’s history as the ritzy gambling mecca of the Mid-Atlantic.

Billionaire owner Carl Ichan bought Donald Trump’s remaining 10 percent ownership stake of Trump Taj Mahal in January 2016, saving the casino resort from bankruptcy. Yet despite plans to invest $100 million in renovations, Icahn said the recent month-long strike by union workers employed by the resort was to blame for the casino’s closure, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

Critics and employees say Icahn is just pointing fingers. Regardless of who's or what is to blame, the closing of the grand casino resort is a blow to the already struggling town that itself has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy since 2015. The closure also marks the last remaining link to Trump's reign over Atlantic City during the 1990s when he owned three casinos on the boardwalk.

As the Trump Taj Mahal takes its final bow, here is a look back at the five casino resorts of the Atlantic City boardwalk, from start to finish.

The Trump Taj Mahal in 2011. Courtesy of Flickr user Shabai Liu.

Trump Taj Mahal (1990-September 2016)

When it was built in 1990, the 120,000-square-foot Trump Taj Mahal claimed to be the biggest casino in the world (it wasn’t) and called itself the 'the eighth greatest wonder of the world.' Owned by Donald Trump, the resort featured 2,010 rooms, multiple restaurants, and of course, thousands square feet of gaming space.

Yet money problems began to plague the casino within a year that it opened. According to Philly Mag, Trump couldn’t afford his $900 million per year payments. While it was the highest-grossing casino in Atlantic City until 2003, it eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2014 until billionaire Carl Ichan took over, keeping Trump's namesake.

Trump Plaza was the first casino resort in Atlantic City owned by Donald Trump. Courtesy of Flickr users Anthony Quintano and natalie419.

Trump Plaza (1984-September 2014)

Trump Plaza opened on May 15, 1984 and became the first Trump-owned casino resort and the largest in the city, clocking in at more than 91,000 square feet. The 39-story black and white building housed 60,000-square-feet of gaming space and 600-plus hotel rooms.

At the start of construction, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Trump Plaza was poised to be the 'most striking' of all casinos on the boardwalk, with its glass-enclosed rooms looking over the ocean. Over the years it underwent a couple of renovations and expansions, but by 2011 Trump’s company looked to sell the casino. In 2014, it became the fourth casino to close in Atlantic City that year.

Revel cost $2.4 billion to build and closed after just two years. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Revel (2012-September 2014)

The shortest-lived casino in Atlantic City’s history, Revel barely lasted two years before closing up shop. Local firm BLT Architects was the architect of record for a majority of the project, which featured 1,399 hotel rooms, 13 restaurants, two night clubs, and swimming pools. It was the tallest building in Atlantic City—and at $2.4 billion the most expensive.

Yet despite drawing big-name acts like Beyonce and Maroon 5 to its doors, the resort couldn’t make its payments and filed for bankruptcy in 2013. On September 2, 2014, it became the third casino to close in Atlantic City that year.

Courtesy of Flickr user Kevin Jarrett.

Current owner Glenn Straub, who bought Revel for $82 million in 2016, has thought of a long list of ideas for Revel’s comeback, ranging from a medical tourism resort to housing for Syrian refugees to today’s plan: A resort with an equestrian facility and water park.

The plan to open the resort this past June came and went, and now Straub is aiming for a fall opening, dependent on licensing and inspections.

The Showboat Casino closed in August 2014. Philly developer Bart Blatstein bought the property and has re-opened it as a hotel. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Showboat Casino (1987-August 2014)

The Showboat opened in 1987 with a 60,000-square-foot casino and a bowling alley. For the most part, the resort had a successful tenure, despite changing ownership multiple times and undergoing multiple renovations and expansions. Yet in the summer of 2014 owner Caesars Entertainment announced it would close the Showboat in order to 'stabilize their other Atlantic City properties.'

How Many Casinos Are Open In Atlantic City New Jersey

It is, however, one of the two casinos that’s seeing some new life on this list. Though the original plan for Stockton University to turn the Showboat into a dormitory, it ultimately sold the property to Philly developer Bart Blatstein in 2016 for $23 million. Blatstein re-opened Showboat just this past July as a hotel sans casino. In his announcement, the developer said, 'There’s a lot more coming. This is the start of a much greater plan.'

Atlantic Club Casino Hotel underwent many names over the years, including Bally's, the Hilton, and finally, the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Atlantic Club Casino Hotel (1980-January 2014)

Of the five now-closed casinos, Atlantic Club Casino Hotel was the first to open and first to close. The casino has undergone a list of names and owners, including Golden Nugget, Bally’s, Hilton, ACH Casino Resort, and finally, the Atlantic Club.

At about 75,000 square feet, Atlantic Club was the smallest of the five casinos and the least flashy, earning the reputation for being a 'locals only' casino.

The hotel closed in January 2014, but by 2015 the property showed some promise with plans for an 81,000-square-foot waterpark gaining traction. Yet despite the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approving the park in July 2015, the deal between the casino owner TJM Companies and waterpark developer Endeavor fell through by January 2016 when Endeavor failed to come up enough funds for the project.

Today, the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel is back on the market, with TJM Companies accepting offers.

Not all is lost in Atlantic City, however. Just days before the Trump Taj Mahal announcement, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced it had inked a deal with MGM Resorts Luxury Destination. MGM officially acquired the Borgata and its 2,100 hotel rooms, 160,000 square feet of gaming space, retail, and restaurants for $900 million.

Atlantic City has seen a dozen casinos open up over the 40-plus years New Jerseycasino gambling has been legal.

Four of them ceased operations in 2014 and a fifth closed in 2016. At least one of those properties is now a non-gaming hotel and two others opened under different names. Several plans for the other two have been thrown at the wall, but none have stuck.

The AC casino industry now boasts nine active casinos. It has had its share of ups and downs, including several occasions when all casinos closed due to either government shutdowns or global pandemics.

Below you’ll find brief histories of all 12 casinos in Atlantic City and an explanation of where they are today. Plus, we take a closer look at the most recent and longest casino shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic shuts down Atlantic City casinos

On March 16, 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered lights out at Atlantic City casinos.

For just the fifth time in the history of legal New Jersey casino gambling, all casinos closed in an effort to contain the coronavirus, also called COVID-19.

Shortly after the March 16 closure, Murphy said AC casinos would remain closed until it is safe for them to reopen.

“It is no longer time for business as usual. This is real. Stop believing folks who say this isn’t real.”

How long were Atlantic City casinos closed?

The exact date for reopening would be 108 days later on July 2. This makes the coronavirus closure the longest shutdown of NJ gambling in the state’s history.

Atlantic City casinos reopened with several health and safety restrictions, including a 25% capacity limit.

BREAKING: On Thursday, July 2nd:
🎰Casinos may reopen – operating at 25% capacity
🍽️Indoor dining may resume – limited at first to 25% capacity

Additional health and safety guidance will be released within the next several days. pic.twitter.com/b4jY2fR3sp

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 22, 2020

Most Atlantic City casinos reopened on July 2 and July 3 before the holiday weekend. However, Borgata’s planned reopening of July 6 was canceled. The casino chose to stay closed after news came that indoor diningwould not resume as planned.

Borgata would eventually reopen but nearly a month after the other eight casinos on July 26. Indoor dining resumed at 25% capacity on Sept. 4.

The situation slightly improved on Feb. 5, 2021. Atlantic City casinos and restaurants are now operating at 35% capacity.

BREAKING: I’m signing an Executive Order to:
☑️Expand indoor dining capacity to 35%
☑️Lift the statewide 10:00 PM restaurant indoor service limit; local restrictions may remain in place

This order will take effect Friday, February 5th. Public health protocols must be adhered to. pic.twitter.com/L4SnyDgIfW

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) February 3, 2021

AC casinos forced to close before

AC casinos closed five times since gambling began in 1978. Three closures were related to hurricanes and one due to a government shutdown:

• 1985: Hurricane Gloria
• 2006: Government shutdown (three days)
• 2011: Hurricane Irene (three days)
• 2012: Hurricane Sandy (five days)
• 2020: COVID-19 pandemic (108 days)

Operating New Jersey casinos

Bally’s

Bally’s Atlantic City opened in 1979 at the corner of Park Place and the Boardwalk. The property featured two casinos with more than 220,000 square feet of gaming space and more than 5,000 slot machines.

However, with Caesars Entertainment merging with Eldorado Resorts, Bally’s and Wild Wild West Casino parted ways. The former was sold to Twin River Worldwide Holdings, now Bally’s Corp. The latter is now part of the neighboring Caesars Atlantic City.

The sale of Bally’s was completed in November, and the name is staying put.

Borgata

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa opened in Atlantic City in 2003. It has been the market’s top-grossing casino property ever since. Borgata was originally a partnership between MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming. MGM bought out Boyd’s 50% interest in 2016.

The property features a 2,000-room hotel and a 161,000-square-foot casino with close to 3,500 slot machines and more than 250 table games. It is also home to the premier poker room on the East Coast.

Borgata is home to not one but two retail sportsbooks. The BetMGM Sportsbook & Bar and the Borgata Race & Sports Book are located next to each other, but the latter is the only one spot in AC that allows horse betting.

The Water Club at Borgata, an 800-room boutique hotel, was added in 2008.

Caesars Atlantic City

Caesars Atlantic City first opened as the Boardwalk Regency in Atlantic City in 1979. The company bought an 11-story Howard Johnson’s Regency Motor Hotel on the property and renovated it to include seven more floors and a 52,000-square-foot casino. When it opened, it was just the second legal casino in Atlantic City.

In 1983, the company added the name Caesars and it became Caesars Boardwalk Regency. In 1987, Caesars renamed the property Caesars Atlantic City. The casino expanded its gaming floor and added two more hotel towers during the next 20 years.

The property now has more than 1,100 rooms and 145,000 square feet of gaming space, featuring more than 3,000 slot machines and 135 table games.

With the sale of Bally’s complete, Caesars AC is now home to the largest sportsbook in the resort town.

Golden Nugget Atlantic City

Golden Nugget Atlantic City was originally built by Hilton Hotels. As construction was wrapping up, the company was denied a gambling license. It sold the complex to partner Donald Trump and the property opened in 1985 as Trump’s Castle. Trump renamed it Trump Marina in 1997.

Houston-based hospitality and entertainment company Landry’s, Inc. bought the property in 2011. Landry’s changed its name to Golden Nugget Atlantic City and spent $150 million on renovations.

Golden Nugget Atlantic City now contains almost 75,000 square feet of gaming space and 728 hotel rooms.

Harrah’s

Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City was the Atlantic City Marina District’s original hotel and casino. It is also the flagship property under the Harrah’s brand.

The property opened in November 1980 as Harrah’s Marina Resort. It was the first casino in Atlantic City not on the Boardwalk.

It opened with a 506-room Harbor Tower. A new all-suite Atrium Tower premiered in 1986. In 1997, the property constructed the 16-story Marina Tower. In 2002, the 25-story Bayview Tower debuted. Finally, in 2008 came the addition of the Waterfront Tower, along with a new pool and spa.

The casino has been expanded to feature 177,000 square feet of gaming space, with more than 5,500 slots and video poker games. It also has close to 140 table games and a 40-table poker room.

Resorts

Resorts Casino Hotel became Atlantic City’s first legal casino when it opened in May 1978. It was originally built on land that housed two three-story wooden Quaker rooming houses. The casino and hotel grew in 2004 with the addition of a 27-story hotel tower.

Renovations in 2011 saw Resorts converted to a Roaring Twenties-themed property. Resorts now boasts 80,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 1,500 slot machines and 70 table games.

The property also includes a 5,000-square-foot DraftKings Sportsbook located just off the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Tropicana

The bones of the Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City are made up of the original Ambassador Hotel built back in 1919. The historic hotel closed in the early 1970s. Ramada bought it in 1978. In 1981, Ramada rebuilt the property into Tropicana Atlantic City, a 521-room hotel and casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Tropicana expanded with a second hotel tower and an amusement center called Tivoli Pier in 1988. The property changed its name to Tropworld Casino and Entertainment Resort. In 1996, a new 604-room hotel tower opened, Tivoli Pier closed, and the entire property was renovated. It then took on the name Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City.

The property underwent further expansion and more renovations in 2004. At that time, The Quarter at Tropicana, an old-Havana themed shopping mall, opened up.

Tropicana, or the Trop as it’s known locally, now boasts three floors of gaming with more than 3,000 slot machines and 135 table games. There are also some 2,400 hotel rooms on the property. Plus, Tropicana acquired The Chelsea in 2017, a 330-room boutique hotel next door.

The casino was an Eldorado Resorts company, but the Caesars Entertainment merger puts Tropicana under the Caesars umbrella.

Are The Casinos In Atlantic City Open

New Atlantic City casinos

Ocean Casino Resort

Plans to build the Revel Casino Resort on the Atlantic City Boardwalk property across from the Showboat Casino Hotel began in 2007. A $2 billion casino hotel with two-700-foot towers was expected to be completed in 2010. Financial troubles and construction slowdowns plagued the project and the opening date was pushed back several times.

Revel opened on April 2, 2012. Operators filed for bankruptcy within a year. The hotel and casino shut down in September 2014. Florida developer Glenn Straub bought it out of bankruptcy court for $82 million in 2015. Straub had difficulties obtaining the necessary state and local permits to reopen. After rebranding the property TEN, he pushed back relaunch dates several times.

At one time, the property contained 1,400 hotel rooms and as much as 130,000 square feet of gaming floor space.

In late 2017, rumors started to churn that Straub was considering selling the former Revel. Those rumors proved to be true when in January 2018, word came that the casino had been sold to Colorado developer AC Ocean Walk.

The property opened as Ocean Resort Casino on June 28 and was one of the first casinos on the Boardwalk to have a sportsbook.

In early 2019, the casino was once again sold, this time to Luxor Capital Investments. The casino was rebranded to Ocean Casino Resort and has since gained market share.

Hard Rock Atlantic City

Built at a cost of more than $1 billion, Trump Taj Mahal first opened in 1990 and was the largest casino in the world at the time. It was the top-grossing casino in Atlantic City prior to the opening of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in 2003.

However, Trump Taj Mahal went through numerous bankruptcy proceedings and ownership changes over its more than 25 years in operation.

Trump Taj Mahal closed down on Oct. 10, 2016, in the middle of a labor dispute.

The property was sold to Hard Rock International in 2017 and went through a $500 million renovation. It reopened as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in June 2018, quickly becoming one of the top casinos in the market.

Repurposed casino properties in AC

Showboat Atlantic City

How Many Casinos Are In Atlantic City In 2019

The Showboat Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center opened in March 1987 featuring a 60,000-square-foot casino and a 60-lane bowling alley. A renovation in 1995 brought in a Mardi Gras theme. In 1998, Harrah’s Entertainment bought Showboat’s parent company and took ownership.

The casino converted the bowling alley into a buffet in 2001. In 2003, it built another hotel tower and remodeled the original. In 2004, it constructed a third hotel tower. That same year, Harrah’s Entertainment became Caesars Entertainment and made plans to close and sell the casino. Caesars shuttered the Showboat on Aug. 31, 2014, after failing to find a buyer.

Richard Stockton College bought the property with plans to turn it into a college campus but later sold to Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein. It reopened as a non-gaming hotel in July 2016. (A deed restriction on the property prevents it from reactivating a casino.)

Blatstein’s Showboat plans include an indoor water park on the vacant lot next door to Showboat.

The Claridge

The Claridge opened in 1930 and was the last of the great Atlantic City Boardwalk hotels constructed before casinos.

In the summer of 1981, Del Webb’s Claridge Hotel and Casino opened to the public. The London-themed property featured a multi-level gambling floor and a 600-seat entertainment venue.

But The Claridge struggled to compete with the newer, larger casino hotels constructed in Atlantic City.

In 2001, the historic building was purchased by Park Place Entertainment, then-owner of Bally’s Atlantic City. One year later, The Claridge’s operations were combined with Bally’s.

In 2009 the casino floor was rebranded theRidge in an attempt to appeal to a younger crowd. A DJ booth was at the center of the casino floor with table games along the outside.

The gaming floor at theRidge was shut down in 2012.

How Many Casinos Are In Atlantic City

Florida-based TJM Properties bought The Claridge the following year and has operated it as a non-gaming hotel since 2014.

Last year, TJM joined the ownership group of the former Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in appealing a decision to not lift gaming deed restrictions on the properties by the state Casino Control Commission.

New Jersey casinos closed for good?

The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel

The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel was Atlantic City’s original Golden Nugget. In fact, it opened up as the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in 1980. Bally Manufacturing acquired the casino in 1987 and changed the name to Bally’s Grand Hotel and Casino.

Hilton Hotels Corporation bought Bally in 1998 and renamed the property Atlantic City Hilton.

In 2005, Resorts International Holdings bought the casino and ran Resorts Atlantic City and the Atlantic City Hilton for the next four years as a single entity.

Atlantic City Casino News Update

The Hilton name was removed in June 2011 and it became the ACH Casino Resort. It was rebranded and renamed The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in 2012.

The casino shut its doors on Jan. 13, 2014. Caesars Entertainment bought the property and Tropicana obtained all the gaming equipment. However, Caesars Entertainment sold the property to TJM Properties in 2014. TJM made plans to reopen it as a non-gaming property.

The company announced in 2017 another developer would be purchasing the property and turning it into an indoor waterpark. The financing for this project ultimately fell through.

Several other deals fell through in the next two years before TJM announced in October 2019 that Colosseo Atlantic City Inc. had purchased the property with plans to turn into a non-gaming hotel. Those plans are mostly still a mystery.

Brighton/Sands

Sands Atlantic City was borne from the legacy of one of the city’s most iconic Boardwalk hotels.

The Brighton Hotel opened in 1876 and stood until 1959. On its footprint, The Brighton Hotel & Casino was constructed for a cost of $70 million. It opened on Aug. 13, 1980.

The casino hotel consisted of a 21-story tower with 532 rooms and a 57,045 square-foot gaming floor.

The Brighton was the fourth casino to open in AC and the first to be built from scratch.

After two ownership changes, the property became the Sands Atlantic City in 1981.

A second-floor gaming area was opened in 1994. The additional 26,000 square-feet, including a new racebook, gave the Sands the fourth largest casino in Atlantic City.

That same year plans to rename the property as a Hollywood Casino were announced but never came to fruition.

The Sands filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998, opening the door for billionaire Wall Street investor Carl Icahn to gain control of it. Icahn went on to buy two other nearby hotels, the Madison Hotel and the Traymore Hotel, which allowed the Sands to expand its gaming floor even more.

In September 2006, Pinnacle Entertainment agreed to buy the Sands and the Traymore site for a total of $250 million. Pinnacle wanted to close and demolish the Sands and build a larger casino.

The Sands closed on Nov. 11, 2006. The sale to Pinnacle was completed shortly after.

The building was imploded at 9:37 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2007, the first-ever casino-hotel implosion on the East Coast.

Pinnacle never built a casino in AC and canceled its plans in 2010.

The Sands site remains vacant.

Trump Plaza

Harrah’s at Trump Plaza was the biggest casino in Atlantic City history when it opened in May 1984. It was a joint partnership between Donald Trump and Holiday Inn’s gaming division Harrah’s. It originally featured 614 rooms and a 60,000-square-foot casino.

When Trump opened Trump Castle, Harrah’s claimed it was a conflict of interest. Trump bought out Harrah’s interest in the property and rechristened it Trump Plaza.

How Many Casinos Are In Atlantic City Now

The property went through a bankruptcy in 1992 and Trump’s publicly traded Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts took ownership. Trump added a new hotel tower in 1996.

In 2011, the renamed Trump Entertainment Resorts announced it was looking to sell or find a financing partner for a renovation. The company could not find a buyer and Trump Plaza shut down in September 2014.

Over the next six years, the crumbling facade of Trump Plaza would become more than a nuisance. Carl Icahn bought the land in late 2018, terminating the lease on the land and halting any potential buyers. Demolition seemed imperative and likely with no buyers on the horizon.

After a push from Atlantic City’s mayor, Trump Plaza was demolished on February 17, 2021.

Image credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.com