Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Two reopened casinos in N.J. reach milestone
Atlantic City recovering some gaming revenue
OATLANTIC CITY NE has Elvis Presley’s Rolls-Royce, the costumes the Beatles wore onstage and the management know-how and money of one of the world’s largest and most successful hospitality companies — even as it replaces its boss.
The other has a successful sports betting facility, a redesigned casino floor and family owners determined not to make the same mistakes that sank its predecessor.
Two of the five Atlantic City casinos that have shut down and reopened since 2014 marked their 100th day of operations Thursday, a milestone that comes after the seaside gambling city recovered some of the money and jobs it had lost in the closures. Both the Hard Rock, formerly the Trump Taj Mahal, and the Ocean Resort Casino, the former Revel casino, reopened June 27.
In their first two full months of operations, the Hard Rock has fared better, ranking among the top four casinos in gambling revenue. The Ocean Resort finished last in July and rose to the seventh slot in August. Figures for September will be out next week.
The Hard Rock hired 3,800 employees and scheduled more than 300 entertainment shows that pulled in $10 million in ticket revenue.
But Hard Rock International, the casino’s parent company, announced this week that it is replacing the president of its Atlantic City resort. Matt Harkness, who oversaw the planning and reopening of the casino, will be succeeded by former Borgata executive Joe Lupo, who jumped ship to a Hard Rock casino in Tampa, Florida, two years ago. No reason was given for the change.
In their first two full months, the Hard Rock won $68.1 million from gamblers, while the Ocean Resort earned $40.8 million during that time, climbing past Resorts and Bally’s.