Major renovations have been completed at one casino overlooking Atlantic City’s boardwalk as another begins a similar slate of upgrades. The projects come as in-person gaming continues to face headwinds from the online gambling boom.
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Earlier this month, the Tropicana Atlantic City finished work on 598 rooms in the casino complex’s west wing, which has been redubbed Solana Tower.
A press release announcing the completion came days before the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino shared plans for $50M worth of renovations spanning 700 standard rooms, 60 suites and eight penthouses.
Hard Rock’s upgrades, scheduled for completion before the end of the year, will also include two new dining options: an Indian restaurant called Sitar and a Federal Donuts & Chicken outpost. The chain’s press release states it has invested $700M in the casino-anchored hotel since 2018.
Stockton University professor Jane Bokunewicz, who helms the school’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, believes the resorts are working to boost their in-person appeal as competition from online betting platforms ramps up.
“We can expect to see continued investment in live events, resort amenities and other activities unique to the Atlantic City experience in an effort to entice patrons to make a visit to the destination, even if online gaming offerings remain popular,” she told the Courier Post last year.
Real-money online casinos are only legal in seven states: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia. The East Coast markets are within driving distance of the Jersey Shore. Certain types of virtual and in-person gambling are also legal to various degrees in other states.
Atlantic City saw a major wave of development after gambling was legalized there in 1984 but has struggled in recent decades.
The site of a defunct casino once owned by President Donald Trump hit the market again in September after it failed to sell two years earlier. The property at 2201 Boardwalk has been on the market for 153 days, according to a listing on Crexi.
Some real estate players are still optimistic about the city.
Tower Investments CEO Bart Blatstein said last year he owns 35 acres in the city, including the 872-room Showboat Resort, which also includes a waterpark.
He was also bullish on residential development in Atlantic City’s outlying neighborhoods as nearby shore destinations become increasingly expensive.
“If you guys don’t go into Atlantic City now, you’re crazy," Blatstein said.
"It’s going to pop like I’ve never seen any other neighborhood pop and very quickly," he added.
