The Casino File: A Tic-Tac-Toe-playing chicken? Tropicana Atlantic City celebrates 40 years; Sting tix on sale
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Tropicana Atlantic City is celebrating its 40th anniversary this Tuesday.
The Trop was the eighth legal gambling den in Atlantic City when it opened on Nov. 23, 1981. It was built by Ramada hotel chain on the site of the Ambassador Hotel. In 1983, the Comedy Stop, a standup comedy venue, opened. Ray Romano, Rosie O’Donnell, Lewis Black and Drew Carey performed there. The Comedy stop closed in 2015.
Tropicana Atlantic City celebrates 40 years. Ramada decided to change the name of the property and introduce a family-friendly marketing strategy. The expansion included a small, indoor amusement center called Tivoli Pier. In 1996, the resort was rebranded TropicANA Casino & Resort Atlantic.
Dennis Gomes was the CEO of Tropicana in Atlantic City. He died in 2012 at the age of 68. Gome's legacy includes the development of The Quarter and Prohibition, the first gay-focused nightclub in an American casino. He also introduced Tic-Tac-Toe chicken to promote the Trop. In 2010, he bought Resorts Atlantic city. It was his last project. The quarter was hit by a construction accident in 2003. Four people died and 21 were injured. A partially built parking garage collapsed. On October 30, 2003, several floors of the garage's parking structure collapsed, killing four people and injuring 21.
Tropicana Atlantic City has been in decline since Gomes' departure. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission denied the company's request to have its operating license renewed in 2007. In April 2008, an elevator malfunction sent a 12-passenger elevator plummeting, but only four guests were hurt.
Tropicana Atlantic City celebrates 40 years of existence. Eldorado Resorts and Caesars Entertainment will merge in 2020. The new merger will make TropicANA part of Caeres' gaming empire.
Sting is playing two concerts at Hard Rock on May 13 and 14. Tickets are now on sale. The concerts are part of his My Songs global road trip.
