Dunes Hotel and Casino

Dunes Hotel and Casino Nearly in Atlantic City

Atlantic City was the first place in the United States to have legalised casino gambling outside Nevada, an event that was decided with a public referendum. In 1976, voters in New Jersey voted in the referendum to legalise gambling in Atlantic City, and the Casino Control Act of New Jersey was signed. This started a rush of investors to the city, with big plans and dreams of capitalising on the situation by building casinos and hotels.

Unfortunately, there was a lack of corresponding finances, and legal issues like zoning and licensing, together with environmental regulations, ended most of the aspirations of these investors. Most of the proposed hotels and casinos never got past the planning stage, and only a very few, like the Dunes Hotel and Casino ever began the actual construction. Many of the proposed enterprises were announced with great fanfare, but died a quiet death fairly soon after.

Proposed Hotel and Casino

The Dunes Hotel and casino in Atlantic City was a proposed hotel and casino complex that was to have been built in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was planned for the late 1970s, and initially was to consist of over five hundred rooms, and a large casino located at Albany Avenue on the Boardwalk. It was going to be situated next to the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. There were many financial and legal problems, however, and the Dunes Hotel and Casino was never completed. A casino licence for the casino was never issued.

Construction Actually Began On the Hotel

Initially the development was to have begun with the purchase and demolition of the President Motor Inn. Construction of the Dunes Hotel and Casino actually began in 1979, but was halted due to financial difficulties. The project was halted in 1980, by which time there was a two storey structure. The project was owned by the Continental Connector Corporation, which also owned the Dunes in Las Vegas Nevada. It was controlled by the lawyer Morris Shenker, who was investigated by the federal government because of his ties to organized crime. He filed for bankruptcy in 1984.

Over the years, there have been attempts to revitalise the construction of the Dunes Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The economic conditions did not alter, however, and several of the would-be investors ended up filing for bankruptcy. The mooted site of the Dunes Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City has been subsequently owned by MGM Mirage, Park Place Entertainment and Caesars and Colony Capital.

Mega Casino Also Did Not Materialise In 2006

In 2006, AC Gateway LLC purchased a number of properties near Albany Avenue and the Boardwalk in order to build a hotel and casino. The properties included the old Dunes Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The project was to build a mega casino called the Atlantic Beach Resort and casino, but that idea was cancelled due to the economic downturn at the time. The later plan in 2011 to develop a smaller Hard Rock Hotel and Casino also came to nothing. The property has now been submitted for use as an office building, and a campus of Stockton University.