Travel Blog

If you are planning a trip to Atlantic City and staying at one of the casino hotels it is important to ask, what casino hotels are still open in Atlantic City. We will answer this questions and give you a status update on each one as of the time of writing this post. There is no question that Atlantic city is struggling due to a number of reasons including competition from other casinos in surrounding states. As well as economic issues related to taxes and tolls just to get there. For many patrons, it is just easier to go to their local casino.

What Casino Hotels are Still Open in Atlantic City

The following are still open and doing relatively well compared to results in 2013. After each hotel name we show the total revenue and the percentage change from 2013.

Borgata: 687.2, +10.7 percent
Harrah’s: 365.3, +2.5
Caesar’s: 330.6, -1.7
Tropicana: 297.2, +29.9
Bally’s: 224.8, -8
Trump Taj Mahal: 215.8, -16.9
Golden Nugget: 185.5, +48.4
Resorts: 139.3, +6.6

It should be noted that Trump Taj Mahal has been purchased and recently closed. Restructuring and union concessions have not worked out to allow the casino and hotel to stay open.

The remaining hotels and casinos are still open. However it should be noted that Caesars Corporate is going through bankruptcy proceedings. They own three of the above hotels.

Closed

Showboat: $110.5, closed Aug. 31
Revel: 98.1, closed Sept. 2
Trump Plaza: 45.4, closed Sept. 16
Atlantic Club: 3.9, closed Jan. 13

The Revel has been purchased. But is not near reopening due to lawsuits and fines from the city that are still under discussion.

The Trump Plaza casino will stay closed for at least 10 years as part of a tax savings measure.

The Atlantic Club is still closed. However, there are proposals to refurbish it into a water park and upscale hotel

Gamers who are wondering is the Borgata Casino Atlantic City still open will be pleased to hear that it is. They will not only be pleased to hear that it is, it is also doing very well. In fact for the year 2014, revenue was up 10.7% from a year earlier. It is too early to report 2015, but all indications are pointing in the same direction for the current year. There may be a number of reasons that they are doing well compared to the other casinos on the boardwalk.  Four casinos have closed and eight are still open. Of those that are still open, three lost money in 2014, while the others gained.

Is the Borgata Casino Atlantic City Still Open

The Borgata is located away from the boardwalk and some would argue that this is a competitive disadvantage. However once you are there, unless you take car, taxi or jitney, your pretty much going to spend your time at the Borgata. Coupled with the fact that it is relatively new and a nice place to stay at, the casino and hotel have actually grown in revenue year over year at a rate of 10.7%

It also must be managed well and financed well compared to the Revel, which was on the boardwalk and brand new. The Revel is closed and bankrupt. It may reopen, however it is too early to know what will take place with regards to the Revel.

With four casinos closing in 2014, the other remaining casinos have picked up their clientele. The Borgata has certainly benefited from this situation as well. Customers that would normally go to the Revel, Taj Mahal, Showboat, Plaza and the Atlantic Club are now going to the other hotels including the Borgata.

There is no doubt about it. The Borgata is the nicest hotel in Atlantic City and well worth the money when you stay in Atlantic City.

Save

It is a shame really, but four New Jersey Casino Hotels Closing  this fall throwing thousands of people out of work. The Revel, the Trump Plaza, the Showboat and the Atlantic Club Casino closed this year. Revenues are down 6.2% from last year and there is no relief in site so the owners are being forced to close these properties.

It has been rumored that the Revel hotel is being purchased by a company named Brookfield out of Las Vegas. They are getting a real bargain if this deal goes though. The Revel was built at a cost of $2.4 billion several years ago. It will be picked up for a paltry $110 million dollars. Details of the deal have not been disclosed although we do know that they are negotiating with the city to lower the taxes paid on the property. As of mid 2016, it is still under negotiations.

New Jersey Casino Hotels Closing – Taxes

The city and the state want their share of taxes and have not been willing to forgo the taxes that have been collected in previous years. The City of Atlantic City is also suffering from reduced tax revenue from property taxes. Tourism taxes and is looking for ways to beef this up. This is one of the major reasons people are staying away in droves. Tolls(another form of taxes) on the highways are expensive and parking fees take another bite out of tourist visitors. Both suffer substantially when people stay away from the Atlantic City area.

New Jersey Casino Hotels Closing – Competition

The other major reason consumers are staying home, particularly those that gamble is that they now have a choice of going to local casinos in surrounding states. Practically every state is getting into the act and running their own casinos to keep this revenue in the state. This provides a very difficult competitive problem for Atlantic City especially in the fall, winter and spring. The beaches may draw people in the summer to the area. It is a cold place along the coast in the winter time.

We hope Atlantic city finds a solution to this problem. We hope that the city also gets into the act of being more competitive to save this tourism business and the jobs of thousands of people.

The Trump Plaza, Revel, The Showboat and the Atlantic Casino are closing placing a minimum of 8000 people out of work and delivering a severe blow to the economy of Atlantic City. All Levels of government are meeting to see what they can do to deal with this problem. However, the issues are very significant. Some can be fixed while others are beyond the scope of what the casino owners and the government can do. In our opinion, there are several major issues that are at the root of this downward spiral. It all has to do with competition. While Atlantic city controls the casino market on the eastern seaboard, life was good and business did well. Unfortunately, a number of things got in the way. Meanwhile Casino Hotels Closing in Atlantic City continues.

Casino Hotels Closing – Competition

Surrounding states were tired of losing money to New Jersey and built casinos of their own. This fact alone siphoned millions of dollars from Atlantic City. Not only the casinos lost, but so did the supporting businesses. Consumers just found it easier to drive to their local casino. Especially in the winter than to drive for several hours to get to Atlantic City.

Another deterrent is the high cost of tolls along the various highways. Individually they do not amount to much. They do add up over longer distances. Tolls are a big irritant to many people including tourists who might visit Atlantic City.

Free parking is almost a given when you go to a casino, but not in Atlantic City. When they began charging for parking driven by the city and increased the tolls just to get to the city, I think that this was the beginning of the end. The city and the casinos just could not sustain the taxes and the tolls and also keep tourists coming to Atlantic City.

Unless the local and state governments give some money back, Atlantic city is going to see hard times and tourists are going to stay away in droves. That is my opinion, what’s yours?

Atlantic city boardwalk hotels deals are available now that are among the best in the nation. Atlantic City took a huge hit from hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012. From the press reports, many Americans and visitors from other countries have the impression that the boardwalk along the casino strip was wrecked. Also that the casinos were badly damaged. There was a several block section that was damaged and torn up in a noncommercial area of the beach. However, the boardwalk in front of the casinos was hardly damaged at all. The Sand dunes in front of the boardwalk protected the boardwalk and the casinos from the pounding waves.

Atlantic City Boardwalk Hotels Deals – Travel is Down

However, as a result of all of the media reports and the fact that many people in the New Jersey and New York City area took a hit from Sandy, travel is down over 50% to the Atlantic City casinos. As a result, there are lots of deals available for tourists visiting the area.  Atlantic city hotels are offering great deals to gain their customers back. In case you are wondering if this is a paid post for the casinos it is not at all. The writer is a long time visitor to Atlantic City. We were not planning to go this summer due to all of the bad media reports.

Based on some online reports and searches, it is obvious the media has done an injustice to this area of Atlantic City. I am looking at a webcam that is live, right now on the boardwalk in front of the resort’s hotel and it is as if nothing has happened. The boardwalk looks perfect and there appears to be no damage at all. I am sure that at the time, there was a lot of clean up needed and repairs, however, they seem to have accomplished that and it all looks great from the view of the camera transmitting pictures.

Time to Obtain Deals from Atlantic City Hotels

Atlantic city hotels will work hard to gain back all of their tourist traffic on Memorial day. Also over the summer period when the majority of people visit. You can expect great deals to attract people to the area. They want them to come to the casinos and the restaurants along the boardwalk. It will be interesting to see just how many small business owners suffer due to lost business from lack of tourists vs. the damage that was caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The Showboat Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City is located at the far north end of the boardwalk next to the Taj Mahal on one side and the new Revel Hotel on the other. The Revel Hotel is the last and is next to the boardwalk’s end, seven miles long. The location is fine; however, if you are interested in visiting some of the other casinos, such as Caesars, Bally’s, Tropicana, Resorts, etc., you are in for a long walk. On a sunny warm day, walking along the boardwalk to these hotels is very pleasant, but not so much on a cold winter day. Recently the Showboat filed for bankruptcy in 2014. It reopened in 2016 as a noncasino nonsmoking hotel and has been doing well. Rooms start at $129, with higher-priced rooms having balconies.

We have stayed at the Showboat Hotel several times, and it is quite satisfactory to stay at. There are two towers, and if you wish to pay for the upgrade, guests should consider the tower next to the boardwalk for better rooms and being closer to the boardwalk. The Showboat was part of Harrahs, so your Total Rewards card could have been used to book hotel rooms and pay for meals if you had earned sufficient comps. Not any longer.

They also face the beach; however, some construction is taking place along the beach. You would probably want to visit the beach a little to the south, with fewer peers and much more sand. There is also a large peer close by with rides and arcade games to try out; however, we understand this is open all the time during July and August but only on the weekends during the warmer months of June and September.

Showboat Casino – Slot Machines

There were over 2000 slot machines of all varieties. There was a large casino floor with various machines, including many poker machines.

Table Games

Same thing with table games. Lots to choose from, and all types of table games are available for patrons to consider.

Restaurants

This is a pet-friendly hotel that also has three restaurants: Atlantic City Eatery serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Canal Street Coffee offers made-to-order espresso beverages as well as prepared salads and sandwiches; and Worship Surf Bar caters to the bar crowd with lunch, dinner and live music on the weekends.

What We Liked

• Hotel rates are very reasonable
• Covered garage parking
• Easy access from all highways
• A safe environment in the hotel and parking areas
• The coffee shop offers free refills as long as you have your receipt

What We Did Not Like

We do not like the $5 / day parking charges and the $13 per day state taxes that all of the hotels are forced to charge their customers. We also decided that since we like to stroll the boardwalk, visit the beach and go to the outlet malls, we will not be staying at this particular location again. Ballys or Caesars is a better choice for us based on these criteria. It is also a long walk from the car park to the check-in counter and the elevators. But then, all of the hotels seem to be laid out this way.

Parking

There is ample parking at the  Showboat Hotel in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled regularly, protecting your car from the weather.

Directions:

Getting to the hotel is pretty easy once you come off of the Atlantic City Expressway. There are many signs to direct you to either valet parking or self-parking, whichever you prefer. For more information about Atlantic City, click here.

Save

Caesars Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City is also part of the Harrahs chain of hotels and casinos. As a result, you can use your Total Rewards slot card at this casino and possibly receive room and food comp’s as well when you visit the casino and hotel. It is centrally located on the Boardwalk, beside Bally’s casino and facing the boardwalk and the ocean. We have not stayed at this particular hotel, however by judging the look and feel of the casino, attention to detail, etc., we feel that the hotel will likely measure up to most people’s standards. Next time we go to Atlantic City, we will try to stay at this particular hotel and give you a first-hand review of the hotel as well as the casino.

Caesars is located near Michigan Ave, which leads directly to the Tangier outlet mall, which has over 250 stores to shop in. Atlantic city has cleaned up its image in the past ten years with many upscale outlet stores to shop in. The outlet mall is only three blocks away just past the hospital on Michigan ave, so it is within easy walking distance.

We mentioned that Caesars is centrally located on the boardwalk. There are roughly eight casinos along the boardwalk, with Caesars and Bally’s in the middle. The other hotels are a quarter mile or half a mile away from Caesars in either direction along the boardwalk. Location can be everything in real estate and also in business ventures. Caesars casino is in the right location compared to many that are in the process of filing for bankruptcy protection.

We also added a picture below of the Caesars hotel taken from the water’s edge at low tide, which shows the sandy beach and just how large this beach really is. On a beautiful sunny day, warm water, low ind, what more could you ask for? We enjoyed the beach, the boardwalk, the restaurants, and the casinos during our stay in Atlantic City.

Caesars Casino – Slot Machines

There are over 2000 slot machines in this hotel, and they have all of the current models and types of games. Harrah’s hotels are not known for having many keno machines, preferring to have poker machines of all types instead as well as the new variety of penny machines. There are lots to chose from.

Table Games

There are many table games as well, with all of the standard variety of table games.

Restaurants

We have not eaten at any of the restaurants at Caesars. They do have a buffet, and all customers interested in a buffet at Bally’s are being referred to Caesars.

What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines
• Free drinks while gambling
• Buffet
• Hotel rates are very reasonable
• Covered garage parking
• Easy access from all highways
• Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas
• Great beach front area as shown below in the picture

What We Did Not Like

We do not like the $5 / day parking charges and the $13 per day state taxes that all of the hotels are forced to charge their customers.  Caesars is no different in that regards, although apparently diamond total rewards members apparently get to park for free. You can also use your comp dollars to pay for your parking, but you must get a comp ticket before you leave the parking garage.

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Harrahs slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at many Las Vegas hotels,  as well as sister hotels in Tunica, Biloxi, Laughlin and Reno.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at Harrahs Caesars hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather.

Directions:

Getting to the hotel is pretty easy once you come off of the Atlantic City Expressway. There are lots of signs to direct you to either valet parking or self parking whichever you prefer.

Ballys Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City is located in a central area on the boardwalk. Just beside Michigan ave, you have the boardwalk to enjoy and the beach of course, and also the outlet stores. Just walk up Michigan ave away from the ocean 3 blocks, past the hospital and you will be in the middle of the outlet mall run by Tangiers. There are over 250 stores to shop in with all of the usual outlet stores selling their products. There is also  a Starbucks, McDonald’s and Subway if you are hungry or are just looking for less expensive food compared to the restaurants on the boardwalk or in the casinos.

We really liked the look of Bally’s, the casino and the hotel area. We decided to stay one night to check it out and discovered that it is part of the Harrah’s chain of Casinos. When we used our slot card, we were given a free room for the night. We still had to pay the $13 room tax and the $5 parking fee.

Avoid the Old Claridge Hotel Tower

Ballys has a tower and they also own the old Claridge hotel. This was not known to us when we checked in and although the room was free, they gave us a room in the Claridge tower which is really the Claridge Hotel.  It is very dated and decorated in a 60’s style, with a very small bathroom. We did have a corner view of the ocean and the boardwalk with a flat screen TV and a Coffee machine. It was not all bad, however we would not stay at Bally’s again if we had to stay in the Claridge tower in Atlantic city.

Bally’s has closed their buffet and refer patrons to Caesars Hotel, next door, which is also a Harrahs hotel. We ate instead at a restaurant called 6IX on the 6th floor which advertised all you could eat steak and crab legs for $29.99. Lot’s of food, more than we could handle since they also served a large salad and seafood pasta with it. It was great, but we would not go back, preferring to try another place next time.

It is also located on the boardwalk and has a fantastic beach area in front of the hotel. Refer to the picture. this was taken at low tide around noon as we strolled along the beach. A great day with lots of sunshine, little wind and great sand, what more could you ask for.

Ballys Casino and Hotel Atlantic City-Slot Machines

The casino is very modern and has all of the machines that everyone looks for these days, with the exception of keno machines. They have lots of poker machines with some keno as one of the games that you can play on the slot machine. There are probably in excess of 2000 slot machines at this casino.

Table Games

There are table games as well with all of the usual suspects.

Restaurants

There is no buffet at this hotel. They have closed it and now refer customers to Caesars buffet next door. There are a number of restaurants including a restaurant called 6ix which we enjoyed, had more than enough to eat and it was decent quality.

What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines
• Free drinks while gambling
• Hotel rates are very reasonable
• Covered garage parking
• Easy access from all highways
• Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas
• Close to the outlet mall, 3 blocks away
• Check in and check out was quick

What We Did Not Like

We do not like the $5 / day parking charges and the $13 per day state taxes that all of the hotels are forced to charge their customers. We also did not like staying in the Claridge tower hotel. It really needs to be updated and it is a long way from the front desk.

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Harrahs slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at many Las Vegas hotels,  as well as sister hotels in Tunica, Biloxi, Laughlin and Reno.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the  Bally’s hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather.

Directions:

Getting to the hotel is pretty easy once you come off of the Atlantic City Expressway. There are lots of signs to direct you to either valet parking or self parking whichever you prefer.

Resorts Casino Atlantic City – This particular photo was taken from the beach in front of the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City. The Resorts is the building on the left, and the Taj Mahal is on the right of this picture.

This is an ideal location with four hotels located close to each other. They are the Resorts International Casino, the Taj Mahal, the Showboat, and the Revel Hotel. They are located at the north end of the boardwalk. We have not stayed at the Resorts, however judging by the casino, this hotel has been greatly updated. It actually glistens! The casino and hotel also won the Casino of the Year award as well. Readers should note that this particular casino was the first casino built along the strip and I can tell that employees are very proud of this. Last time we checked it was still open, while at least 4 have declared bankruptcy.

Buffet at the Resorts

We also tried the buffet at the Resorts. They were offering all-you-could-eat crab legs. The price was $29.99 per person, and the crab legs were pretty good. We would have preferred them to be pre-cut to make getting the meat easier. We had to wait at least 45 minutes in line since it is very popular, and they have a relatively small dining room as far as buffets go.

Not sure if they are associated with the resorts; however, you can rent bicycles to ride on the boardwalk just outside the hotel from 6:30 am until 10:00 am. We also ate at the Breadsticks cafe, a nice little place on the boardwalk inside the Resorts casino building. We had Corn chowder soup which was excellent, and a Caesar salad along with a seafood diablo linguini which was also very good. We split everything since the quantities were just so large.

There are two towers, and after checking with the front desk, they seem to be reasonably priced; however, if you have a slot card and play a bit, you can probably receive offers from them for food and room comps.

Resorts Casino Atlantic City – Slot Machines

We could not find the exact information about the number of slot machines at this casino. However, this is a very large casino, and we would estimate that there are over 2000 machines for patrons to play on. These include the modern machines that have become popular recently, such as many penny-style machines. We did find that keno machines are not very popular in Atlantic City in general, and in this regard, the Resorts Casino is no different. There were also lots of poker machines of all types to play.

Resorts Casino Atlantic City – Table Games

The same thing applies to table games. We did not see any information outlining how many of each type they have. However, they do have lots of table games and all of the major varieties as well.

Resorts Casino Atlantic City – Restaurants

We ate at the buffet and also at Breadsticks coffee shop. The buffet is relatively small, so there are more lineups than there would be at other buffets that have a large seating capacity. We stood in line for approximately 45 minutes around the 5 pm time frame, the prime supper hour time slot.

Breadsticks restaurant is located on the main floor beside the boardwalk. You can ask for a table looking out onto the boardwalk. This is a standard cafe with great food and large portions. We ordered the corn chowder, which was great, along with a salad and a seafood pasta dish. All were very good and large.

What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines
• Free drinks while gambling
• The buffet was ok, long line ups though
• Hotel rates are very reasonable
• Covered garage parking
• Easy access from all highways
• A safe environment in the casino, hotel, and parking areas

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the  Resorts hotel & casino. Note that we have not stayed at this location. Comments are welcome from anyone that has.

Slot Player Card

They have their own slot players’ card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at this hotel only, as far as we are aware.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are several benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Resorts Hotel & Casino in an oversized parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels.

Directions: Just follow the directions as you come into the city along the Atlantic city expressway.  The Atlantic City expressway can be reached from all of the major highways from points north, such as New York City and Philly in the east. Bring cash to pay the numerous tolls on the way.

This is our first post about Atlantic city and some of the casinos we visited recently. We have not been to the Atlantic city area for some time, but always have fond memories of biking along the boardwalk and visiting various restaurants in the casinos and on the boardwalk. We titled this post as our Atlantic city casino guide, since it is our first post and we thought it would be nice to include a few general pictures and some information about the casinos. Here we go. This is our Atlantic city guide.

Atlantic City Casino Guide – The Boardwalk

The boardwalk is really the center of the action as far as we are concerned. It stretches for approximately seven miles we are told and the casinos are along the north end of the boardwalk. You have a beautifully wide sandy beach with the Atlantic ocean on one side and the casinos, shops, restaurants and homes on the other side. The picture above is an excellent early morning picture when there are not many people around.  You can rent bicycles on the boardwalk and ride them from 6:30 until 10:30 in the morning. After that there are just too many people strolling along the boardwalk to make it safe.

We noticed that there were lots of Atlantic city staff cleaning, emptying garbage, watering plants and maintaining security along the boardwalk. We felt very safe while strolling along. There are also three wheeled buggy style push carts that can be rented if you do not want to walk. They start at $5 per 5 city blocks and go up from there. You can find these in front of every casino entrance along the boardwalk. Watch a video of the boardwalk on YouTube, click here

The Casinos

Here is a list of the casinos in Atlantic City that we are aware of:

• Revel (brand new and just opened – April 2012)
• Showboat
• Taj Mahal
• Resort International
• Caesars
• Ballys
• Atlantic Club
• Harrahs (at the marina)
• Borgata (at the marina)

There are shuttle buses to take from the hotels at the marina to the boardwalk, although sometimes you have to wait quite a long time for them. If you plan to walk from hotel to hotel along the boardwalk, take good walking shoes. The distance is pretty long and the casinos are actually quite large themselves.

The Beach

The beach is really great. Great sand that is kept clean and it is large. They have lifeguards as well and most days the swimming is also great. As with all ocean beaches, waves and under tow can become a problem as do jelly fish. check with the life guard before you go swimming if you are concerned.

We walked for a mile along the water one day. The tide was out, people could easily wade a 100 feet out onto sand bars and several ladies were searching for metallic items using metal detectors.  A beautiful day when it is sunny and warm.

Getting to Atlantic City

Getting to Atlantic city is pretty easy. There are all of the usual modes of transportation, however we will focus a bit on traveling by car to this ocean side city. If you want to get their quickly, the Atlantic City Expressway, the New jersey Turnpike and the Garden state Parkway are the major routes leading into the city from new york and Philly.

Be prepared to pay tolls along all of these roads to the tune of up to $10 or $15 depending on where you are coming from. In addition, you get to pay $5 for parking and if you stay at any of the hotels there is also a $13 state tax even if your room is comp’d! New jersey is bound to get some of your money either through the casino taxes or via tolls and taxes that are levied on tourists. Sorry to be so negative on taxes like this, but it really does make you think twice about going back to Atlantic city with all of these taxes.

The Outlets

Atlantic City has become a lot more modern in the past few years, cleaning up the downtown and making it much more attractive to families and tourists. There are now 250 outlet stores within walking distance of the casinos. In fact if you are staying at Bally’s, just walk 3 blocks up Michigan avenue and you are in the middle of all of these outlets. All of the popular stores and chains are there as well. Starbucks and McDonalds offer free WiFi, which is about the only place I could find that offers  this service. The Casino hotels charge ten or eleven dollars for this service per device.

Watch for more posts with lots of pictures in the coming weeks about Atlantic City.