Atlantic City
NEWS | OFFICIAL WEBSITE |
If you havent been to Atlantic City in a while, well let me tell you something. It really hasnt changed much. If you have not ever been to “AC” or are not sure what it is, scroll to the bottom of the page.
There has been one new casino opened over the past few years, The Borgata, which is 
absolutely fantastic and a vision of things (hopefully) to come in Atlantic City. There has also been a few nice new hotel towers and some renovations, but nothing that has really moved the needle too much, and still has not been able to really change people’s perception of AC as a grimey day trip market.
That may all be changing however, as a number of new multi-billion dollar casino projects are in the works.
Atlantic Beach Resort and Casino
Chelsea Hotel (no casino, but still a nice project for AC)
Margaritaville Marina Resort and Casino
Pinnacle Entertainment’s beach themed casino
Atlantic City background
Once upon a time in the United States, there was really only two legal gambling destinations in the United States - Nevada (Vegas) and Atlantic City (in the state of New Jersey). Everyone who lived on the West Coast went to Vegas, and everyone who lived in the big East Coast cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and NYC drove to Atlantic City.
But before Atlantic City got gambling, it was once a former family beach destination. Due to mismanagement, the city deteriorated into a poor, run-down, and dangerous seaside town. Eventually, the only tourists passing through were those who were lost.
As a way to revitalize the city, gambling was legalized. A dozen or so hotel casinos popped up, all nice and new. Then as The Sundays said, “here’s where the story ends”.
For decades after that, nothing new happened. And worst than that, the city fell into deeper ruin while the casinos raked in the dough.
Finally, in 2003, a joint venture between MGM-Mirage and Boyd Gaming opened the +$1 billion Borgata, a Las Vegas style casino resort, and the first new casino to open in 20 years. It was a massive hit, and sparked the interest of other casino companies to try and replicate the Borgata’s success.
So hopefully some or all of the casino projects above pan out. Even if they do, Atlantic City will never be Vegas, or even close to Vegas, but it will still be a huge improvement to what we have today.