Casino Execs Ask For Federal Aid To Replenish Beaches

If you’re preparing a trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey, this summer, you might visit some casinos with closed beach bars due to winter storms eroding and depleting the coastline. 

There’s been plenty of speculation regarding the subject, but now, there are some actual executives at these casinos voicing what the impact will ultimately be. 

Mike Sampson, the general manager of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, also one of the prominent NJ online casinos in the state,  said that, without assistance, the bars may not be operational. 

“If we don’t get some action taken very, very quickly, this looks like this is going to be a post-summer project, and we will not be able to resume the same type of beach operations that we had in the past,” Sampson said Friday, per New Jersey 101.5.

Additionally, there are reports that one of the bars, Atlantic City’s Pennsylvania Avenue Beach, was damaged after storms caused waves on the coastline. As a result, parts of the deck disappeared or collapsed, going into the sand. 

As mentioned, Sampson is calling for emergency relief for beach replenishment to get the damage under control. He said he contacted Senator Cory Booker’s office. 

This isn’t a new thing, though, as last year Ocean Casino Resort spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars replenishing the beach near them. 

The last beach replenishment project paid for with federal funds occurred three years ago. 

We’ll continue to monitor this story to see if any relief happens or if the bars will need to close down this summer.