Atlantic City comeback: Two casinos reopen for testing

ATLANTIC CITY — People are winning and losing money again for the first time in years at two Atlantic City casinos that had been shut down.

Monday marked the first day of socalled soft play at the Ocean Resort Casino and the Hard Rock. The testing period is designed to see how the casinos’ equipment and technology work before the full grand openings Thursday.

But the winning and losing was real. Just ask Marian Simmons of Somers Point, New Jersey.

“I just stuck my card in the machine, and on the second spin, I won $225,” she said. “I’m so happy!”

Lee Gentile of Toms River, New Jersey, was having a similar run. In 15 minutes at a slot machine, she had won $400. As a reporter watched, she won another $50 on her next spin.

“I should take this now and go home,” she said.

Both casinos invited friends and relatives of employees to be the first to gamble there during the testing period that began Monday and was expected to run through Wednesday. The purpose was to see whether the slots work properly, the player’s club kiosks work and the information technology functions as it should, along with more mundane concerns like air conditioning, lighting and directional signs on the casino floor.

As of late Monday afternoon, no serious issues had arisen at either casino, said David Rebuck, director of the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.

The Hard Rock would not permit reporters to watch its soft-play period. But casino President Matt Harkness said things were working as designed Monday.

“Everything is going smoothly, and the staff is really motivated,” he said.

The Hard Rock is the former Trump Taj Mahal casino, which was stripped to its foundations and redone.

The Ocean Resort is the former Revel, the casino that lasted just over two years before shutting down on Sept. 2, 2014. Monday was the first time members of the public were on the casino floor since then. The casino was reconfigured to make it easier to get around. Its previous layout was a major source of complaints.

“I like the way it’s laid out,” said Joyce Green, of Vineland, who said she used to gamble at Revel once a week. “It’s not confusing now.”