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March 20, 2017

Shuttered Atlantic Club Set To Morph Into ‘Dolphin Village’ Water Park in AC

March 20, 2017
AC waterpark

The tales of what former Atlantic City casinos may become are many. Will plans for the former Atlantic Club come to fruition?

Here comes Dolphin Village

Glenn Straub’s plans for the former Revel included a shelter for refugees and a school for geniuses. More recently, grand plans have been made for two Boardwalk casinos. The Trump Taj Mahal will become part of the Hard Rock International chain.

And last week, R&R Development Group announced it will convert the Atlantic Club into an indoor water park called Dolphin Village. The news only added to the quirky collection of could-be’s — another developer had plans to use the property as a water park, but its bid fell through previously.

AC water park will be a family resort

According to Real Estate NJ, the new complex will be a 100,000-square-foot sprawl of dining, entertainment, with a plethora of wading pools and water rides. The resort will reportedly have 300 rooms.

The new developer will invest $135 million into the project, which could take between one and two years to build, the Press of Atlantic City wrote.

Ronald A. Young, managing partner at R&R, portrayed the water park like a playground for children of big spenders.

“Where can a high-roller send his kids?” he told the paper. “This complements every casino in the city.”

While we’re pretty certain Dolphin Village is intended to be more than a daycare for the rich and famous, there is an opportunity here for families to enjoy a kid-friendly environment just a few steps from the Boardwalk’s premier casinos.

The Atlantic Club’s history

The Atlantic Club was the first of four casinos to close in the dubious casino contraction that stated in 2014, ending a 34-year run in which the building had been either a casino or hotel.

The property opened in 1980 as the Golden Nugget. The Nugget was a hit with Atlantic City gamblers. According to a October 1981 article from UPI, the Nugget earned $17.7 million in the first half of 1981, “more than the other seven operating casinos combined.”

For contrast’s sake, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement announced earlier this month the state’s gambling websites alone earned $18.7 million.

In 1987, it became Bally’s. By 1998, Hilton took over and ran a hotel casino. Hilton held on for 13 years, at which point the property became the ACH Casino Resort. In 2012, the property evolved into the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel before closing its doors.

 

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