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When four of the twelve Atlantic City casinos were closed in 2014 and a fifth followed two years later, it seemed to many that the city's gambling industry was in a deadly spiral irreversible.
But things have started to improve since then for Atlantic City, largely because there is now less competition.
On Thursday, two of these five casinos will reopen under new owners and new names.
The old Trump Taj Mahal will reopen as Hard Rock, and the former Revel will reopen under the name of Ocean Resort Casino. Some things to know about them:
HARD ROCK
BACKGROUND: The former Trump Taj Mahal was closed on October 10, 2016. It was purchased by Hard Rock International, belonging to the Seminole Indian tribe of Florida, for $ 50 million in March 2017. Between the price of 39, purchase and renovations, Hard Rock plans to move to President Donald Trump, who was a real estate mogul at the time, opened in 1990 at a cost of $ 1.2 billion . It has 2,000 hotel rooms.
WHAT'S UP? Almost everything. Hard Rock stripped the property of its foundations, eliminating the Indian-themed domes and minarets of the Taj Mahal era, and remade the property inside as well as on the outside. Instead of purple and pink palaces, guests will see a giant electric guitar as they drive up.
WHAT'S BACK: The Gentlemen's Scores Club and Robert's Steakhouse, among others. The Mark G. Etess Arena remains, though it has been expanded to accommodate 7,700 spectators, compared to approximately 5,200 spectators.
QUIRKY STUFF: Hard Rock is serious about his musical theme; Hotel guests can check Fender Stratocaster electric guitars to play in their rooms. (The way this could happen with your neighbors remains to be seen.) His "365 Live" program promises shows every day of the year for his freshman year.
PROPERTY: Trump opened the property in 1990, calling it "the eighth wonder of the world". A little more than a year later, he was in the first of many bankruptcies, stifling on high levels of debt. Trump lost control of his casino company in a subsequent bankruptcy when bondholders took over. It was later bought by billionaire Carl Icahn, who closed it in 2016 after a bitter strike against health care coverage and retirement benefits for unionized workers.
OPENING DAY: Hard Rock is planning a mass guitar ceremony on the Boardwalk at 11am.
OCEAN RESORT CASINO
BACKGROUND: Ocean Resort is the second incarnation of Revel, the $ 2.4 billion pleasure palace at the north end of the Boardwalk of Atlantic City. It opened in April 2012, with the goal of revolutionizing the market by focusing on high-end entertainment and high-end customers. But they never materialized in sufficient numbers, and the casino went bankrupt twice and closed on September 2, 2014, after a little over two years of operation, making it the most flop spectacular of Atlantic City. The Colorado developer, Bruce Deifik, bought it in January and is set to reopen it under a new name intended to emphasize its proximity and embrace of the ocean. It has 1,399 rooms.
NEWS: The floor of the once sinuous casino has been reconfigured to make it easier to move, and new carpets are covering the casino floor and hotel rooms. A hamburger restaurant owned by actor Mark Wahlberg and his family arrives. New attractions will include a virtual golf simulator, a giant aquarium and a sports betting center. Ocean Resort is affiliated with the Hyatt hotel chain. But because the property was still virtually new when it closed, there was not much to change.
WHAT'S BACK: Popular attractions like the HQ Pool Club, and the Royal Jelly Burlesque Club will be back, with a spa and some Jose Garces restaurants. Ovation Hall, its 5,500-seat concert hall, is back.
QUIRKY STUFF: Cereal Town, a restaurant serving cereals 24 hours a day, will be part of the program. Wahlberg brought a Catholic priest to bless the reopening casino a few weeks before it reopened.
PROPERTY: Revel was designed by Morgan Stanley Bank of Wall Street with local investment partners, Revel Entertainment, headed by Kevin DeSanctis, a casino executive and former state agent from New Jersey. But he ran out of money halfway through the construction, triggering a rush on funds to complete the project. The new loans have only increased the colossal debt of the casino and have never failed in profitability. After closing in 2014, Glenn Straub, a developer from Florida, bought Revel for $ 82 million from the bankruptcy court, but failed to reopen it in three years. He sold to Deifik in January for $ 200 million.
OPENING DAY: Ocean Resort is planning a grand opening ceremony at 1pm shortly after the debut of Hard Rock.
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