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Museum of Gaming History An Educational Project of The Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club, Inc. An IRS approved 501 (c) (3) Tax Exempt Not-For-Profit Corporation
Dedicated to the preservation and education of Gaming History
Gaming in Atlantic City..............
A History of Legal Gambling in New Jersey -
Part Four -- By Stephen Piccolo
As the 80's began, it seemed that finally the "new construction" edict of
the state was finally happening in Atlantic City. The Brighton, built by Greate
Bay Casino Corporation on the site of its former namesake, was the first all-
new casino-hotel to open in Atlantic City. At a cost of $69 million, the
complex had 506 rooms in a nineteen story tower. The casino, at 32,000 square
feet, was rather small for the times in Atlantic City which probably
contributed to the financial difficulties that faced the Brighton. The
Brighton was in money trouble from the moment it opened its doors on August
31, 1980. The principal stockholders in Greate Bay, a publicly traded
company, were Eugene V. Gatti and Arthur J. Kania, both of Ocean City, which
also made the Brighton the first casino owned by local businessmen. Gatti and
Kania were also the first applicants that it seemed would obtain a permanent
license with the full blessing of the Division of Gaming Enforcement.
By October of that same year, bankruptcy rumors were surrounding the
property. Before long, it was announced that the Brighton was being sold to
the PPI Corporation, a newly formed company owned jointly by Inns of America,
Inc. and two financiers, Burton and Richard Koffman. The privately owned Inns
of America were owned by the Pratt brothers, Jack, Edward and William, and
operated franchised Holiday Inns in the U.S. and Latin America. It had just
bought the Sands in Las Vegas from Summa Corporation and to capitalize on the
Las Vegas reputation, the Brighton was renamed the Sands of Atlantic City in
May of 1981. Jack Pratt also brought in many top Caesars World executives,
including its COO, Stephen F. Hyde, to help make the Sands a winner.
For the first time, the commission voted unanimously to grant the Sands new
owners a permanent license without any special conditions. The Sands has
survived, unlike its Vegas counterpart, well into the 90's. It was purchased
in the early 90's by the successful riverboat operators, the Hollywood Casino
Corporation. They have slowly been introducing a "Hollywood" theme to the
property with the intent of changing the Sands name to Hollywood Casino-Hotel
in the future. Recent expansion plans to add a second tower with 600 more
rooms have also been announced and if indeed gets built, it should position
the Sands/Hollywood as one of the top operators in Atlantic City for years to
come.
Bill Harrah, with two highly successful casinos in Reno and Lake Tahoe, had
decided to come to Atlantic City only one month before his death in 1978. Had
he lived, it is doubtful he would have sold a 99% interest in his company to
Holiday Inns, Inc. Harrahs Marina was originally started as Holiday Inn
Marina Casino. I even remember the sign in front of the property during
construction. When Holiday Inns purchased Harrah's, it decided to use the
Harrah's name at its Atlantic City facility to capitalize on the Harrah's
name and reputation in the casino industry. This was the first casino to be
built outside of the boardwalk casino strip. The 506 room complex lies at the
foot of the Brigantine Bridge about one mile from the boardwalk. Although
some sensitive foreign payments were brought up at the license hearings, the
commission voted unanimously to grant a license to Harrah's/Holiday Inns.
Harrah's Marina opened its doors on November 23, 1980 and has been one
of the top revenue generators in Atlantic City from the beginning. In
the mid 80's, Harrah's added its 260 room Atrium Suites tower to the
property. Harrah's was involved in another property in Atlantic City -
Harrah's Boardwalk at Trump Plaza, but that will be covered later.
Harrah's also purchased the old Chalfonte Hotel from Resorts for $26
million. They demolished it and announced plans for a 551 room casino-
hotel. This never came to pass. Recently Harrah's announced a major
expansion to the Marina to bring its room inventory well over 2000
rooms. With this expansion, Harrah's is preparing to be on an even
level with the new mega-resorts planned as their neighbors in the
marina in the future.
Next issue will cover the Golden Nugget - Atlantic City, Steve Wynn's
FIRST venture into Atlantic City and the ill-fated attempt by Playboy
to enter the U.S. gaming market.
