Abandoned - Revel Casino Resort
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2020
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On the shores of the struggling Atlantic City sits a shinning, modern glass resort seemingly different to all the other old, tired looking casinos on the iconic boardwalk. Revel was the new development poised to reshape the gambling town and breath life back into the community. However things didn't go as planned. So today I'm looking a bit deeper into how a brand new, billion dollar resort failed so spectacularly and eventually sat abandoned for several years.
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I was lucky enough to be there the night they closed. The bartenders were just giving bottles away. We had a room for like 10$ Nothing was really working and it was awesome
Sounds amazing, glad you didn't get so wasted you didn't forget all of it
I was also there...Just walked in from the boardwalk. Guest services was closed, and most everything else was shutting down. It was a fair walk from the other casinos. And of course some of the other casinos near it were closing also. I'm a Vegas fan, and I was there on business and my first and last trip to that city.
@@iworkout6912 Being on the flip side of things, where I live in NJ and went to AC many times in my life, what would you say would make it worth the trek West to Vegas that AC doesn't already offer? Only thing that would be cool to me is seeing desert. Where I guess someone who doesn't get to an Ocean often, would think AC is a neat destination.
Chief Big Bob you’re being NICE about it.
@@JerseyJeff84 I'm from Philly and have been to both Vegas and AC many times. You can't even compare the two. It's like saying "I've been to Wildwood, NJ so why should I bother going to Hawaii?"
“..and everything was hastily being held together for something that might just collapse.” Welcome to Atlantic City.
It’s not just a/c, it’s everything, everywhere. It’s all built by the lowest bidder.
There is no way that an ordinary gambler like myself can win anything in a place like this. All the slots, pokers machines etc., are set so tight that if you do win, it is a miracle. I have never to Atlantic City, the gamblers in the the major Nevada casinos that were not in major financial trouble could actually win some some money once in a while. The Indian owned casinos blew most of Reno’s downtown area. A couple on the main drag but far way from the downtown area are nice, and winnings are possible. COVID 19 has pretty much wrecked everything financially. The Indian casinos are not subject to the USAs lockdown, but ,I for one do not want to spend time in a dirty by nature casino right now.
Las Vegas has had some financial disasters too.
Well at least were not Detroit
@Karl M the neighborhood's still look terrible and run down
LMBO!
They failed to mention the reason why so many AC casinos closed recently because in the last 10-11 years surrounding states got gaming licenses to open local casinos.
This is exactly what I was going to post. Atlantic City went from being the only place to go to gamble (outside of Indian reservations) to just an incredibly aged city that nobody wanted to go to anymore. I used to have to do trade shows in AC and, back then, the tightening smoking restrictions were already killing the casinos. Atlantic City was already in a free fall before this cluster started. I stopped doing the trade shows just as this was beginning construction.
And online gambling took over
Also, A.C. is very low-class and dirty.
I was thinking this the whole time. I live on Long Island in NY and we just got our first casino a few years back called Jakes 58. It’s not great by any means but it’s a start. It’s always packed to the point the lot is full and people park along the highways service road. It’s all video, no actual dealers but people flock to the place! Before that you could only go to AC or places in Connecticut.
Kind of like why Las Vegas went through a recession in 1982.
I was on the opening team for Revel. Worked there for months before opening and until it closed. There were so many abandoned or vacant unfinished areas even when we opened. I know all the secret spots! It was such a labyrinth. Unreal. There were even homeless living in these spots in the second tower base that was never finished. So many crazy stories to tell. This was interesting to watch and took me back. Thanks!
how ironic that the building that the state government gave $200+ million for was being doubled as a homeless shelter 🙄
Wow!
Why didn't they some ppp loan for the Luxury Hotels and the transition people have some place to live!
The Fatman almost destroyed AC.
Wow.
Chris Christie is such a constant figure on this channel 😂 too funny
Yea, his figure has stayed pretty constant: round.
maxheadroom he’s in shape lol .....round 😂🤦🏻♂️
Zac Saleski bruh. Mans fatter than a fat horse. And wasn’t much better as governor
From NJ, don't like him either lol
Chris Christie is to Bright Sun as Michael Eisner is to Defunctland
“In the end, it was the revel who had the gambling problem” oooo gotemmmm.
Can we talk about the man who straight up bought the 2.4 billion dollar building for 80 mil and just made sum shit up until he could sell it for a profit two years later. He’s the only true winner in Atlantic City
It's not for nothing that _Monopoly_ is set there...
Exactly! I was thinking prior to that part that whoever bought it at 80 and sold it around this time would make a killing $$$ just owning it
True. Can we talk about how much the hold-out States could make if they'd just give up and legalize weed? Then just invest in food delivery service. The states that have it are making HUGE bank... (Used to live in Nevada, now live in IOWA...ugh)
@@janethalken8269 I live in PA and never in my life would I imagine picking up my weed legally right across from Walmart where I do my other shopping. I did the other week (went Walmart and then weed shopping) and it was incredible. Of all the horrible mistakes society and man are making these days...this was a huge step forward.
Glenn Straub is not a nice guy. Research him. Lots of lawsuits and domestic violence claims
The bigger question is why did ANYONE finance this, starting in 2006, given that it was obvious by then that Atlantic City was on life support.
Money laundering maybe?
money printer goes brrrr.....
Foolishly optimistic. Lots of blind greedy individuals involved, included the bottom feeding politicians.
I mean it opened and is pretty successful
People's trying to construct their ego's into something tangible. Its funny because you think that old fart at 9:00 really cared what happens to the place? Nope - has has lived his life, he has money - this was nothing more to him than something "fun" to mess with - the long term future of the property was just a novelty to him. People at that stage in their lives know they are not going to be around for much longer, so who cares :-P
Their biggest mistake was opening a casino as the city was dying.
I’ve lived in the area my whole life and the way AC died and the way it killed EVERYTHING for nearly 50 miles is depressing and irreversible
Buck Bumble Well this is what happens when you have too much money & don’t know what the hell to do with it!
I don’t think I know a single person under the age of 50 in my area (Camden County) who has anything nice to say about AC or goes there for anything besides concerts or events. And personally I’d say it’s worse off than Camden itself by this point.
Something like this wouldve worked better in Las Vegas
Brent Bowman Well someone is going there because they are not completely shut down by no means, but unfortunately we do have a pandemic to deal with so that’s a problem, but the question is what will be the long-term viability of all of these costal resort towns like AC, because we’re in a very dangerous & precarious situation in this country today with a leadership in the White House that doesn’t believe in climate change!
Theodore Haskins 👍👍
This series should be renamed Money Pits.... Holy shit...
i gave you your 200th like
Donut media has a series named money pit, not that it matters but it's a great series!
shaggen mo powah baybe
DOH!!!!!
Hamilton Hickman ah MO POWAAHHH!
I used to make fun of this property, but now it's the only one I will go to in AC. Better than Borgata imo. Love the vibe of Ocean, the rooms are fantastic, the casino floor is great. They've done a great job turning this property around. Can we get an update?
I love this i work here and it is the best and only 5 star casino/resort in Atlantic City my name is Hasad and i work in Front Desk it is awesome to see comments like these
If you play poker, there's no reason to go there.
@@jamesdeppeler793 really wish they had a poker room... it's a beautiful resort and hotel - the nightclub's great as well; but I get trapped at the Borgata to play poker.
@@aidinb6721 Revel had a pretty nice one
The property is scheduled to be "in the black" by third qtr '24 - 🕋 💰. 💰. 💰. 🔍
I absolutely LOVED the Revel and love it even more as the Ocean... fabulous and affordable rooms, great casino, can’t wait till we go again in a few weeks!
The Showboat was my favorite,now it's the Trop.
It sucks.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 It should have never been built,it hastened the downfall of AC.
@@rick-be I agree. I came down to AC back in summer of 2013 and remember seeing them building this monstrosity at the far north end of the boardwalk and I was thinking "WHYYYYY????". This was when Resorts, Taj Majal, and Showboat were all 3 still thriving. We also had Bally's, Caesars, and Wild West Casino all connected too. Then Tropicana even further. Then there was Borgata on the bay side. AC was doing just fine in 2013 and it sickens me how so many greedy ugly developers get the funds to build huge malls and casinos and offices they never even finish.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 The Fat Man was behind it all,some of his friends
got all the permits and then got bailed out when they were only 1/2 done.
There just was no room for another casino in AC.
The tower kinda looks like a ps4
Don Nikolas ps5*
Or like the first PS2 when they went vertical.
julosx there’s a very PS2-shaped building in Manchester, England
I literally just said that LOL
The smaller one kinda looks like a Wii
One thing never mentioned was the fact that Revel originally opened as a Smoke Free casino, unheard of in that industry. That one thing kept a lot of hard core gamblers away from the property and no doubt affected the bottom line. I enjoyed going there but gamblers have addictive personalities and more are addicted to substances like tobacco and want to be able to indulge that habit while gambling.
That sounds like a local liberal Congress-person begged down themselves to pass some kind of bill to fit that narriative and maybe it just never took off..? Im just in observstion from many miles away, could be wrong..
Yep. And when a smoker takes a break to go outside for a smoke it removes them from many dealt hands of blackjack etc.
Bob Steiner, sounds like you blowing smoke from your behind
@@gavnonadoroge3092 he's not fully wrong on that matter but he not fully right either. It's mainly down to the conversation of addiction is complicated and making a big lump will cause problems for everything. That being said there is some logic behind addicts have multiple addictions going at the same time is not unheard of in fact it plays into why they have trouble getting clean in many cases.
There is no smoking in Maryland Casinos. No Smoking in bars and restaurants have been around here since 2003. The Maryland Casinos don't have a problem attracting locals to spend money there. If it was a state law there, addicted gamblers would not have a choice but to deal with non smoking casinos.
What’s funny is that Ocean was the only casino in AC to increase their profits from 2019 to 2020 despite COVID. They’re my go to casino and I’m so glad they have been really able to turn things around.
who would've known how absolutely gorgeous the ocean casino resort would turn out to be nowadays? it's true that the property had an extremely rough start, but their staff go so hard with customer service, gaming incentives, food choices, and room quality. they go above and beyond to the furthest possible extent to make sure that you enjoy your stay. the prices for rooms are reasonable even if you don't frequent atlantic city, the walk to the beach is shorter than with any other casino/hotel on the strip, and the views of the ocean and steel pier from the rooms are breathtaking. it is always a good time here year-round, so thankful that they kept building this place up to what it is today.
I agree it is a beautiful property but fairly isolated.
If you’re scared of heights don’t go there. The escalators are scary AF.
They are sweet! Definitely wild though, don't look down. I'm not even scared of heights, but when I was on it, it was packed as a can of sardines. I didn't enjoy it. All I could think about was one person accidentally tripping and everyone becoming dominos. All while 4 or 5 stories in the air.
they look hardcore!
craziest escalators for me would be from westfield in san francisco - they are like david bowies stairs in Labyrinth - either that or Parliament station in Melbourne, they go forever
They just move so dang slow when you're on them. Take the elevator instead.
I’m not scared of heights. When it first opened as Revel, I went up that escalator. I was near-faint by the time I got to the top.
On the casino floor the music was so loud I had to scream to my friends a few feet away. The audio system was great for a club, but on the casino floor?
Everything was half-open and expensive. I’m not a good judge, was never a big fan of casinos or Atlantic City. But I really hated it.
Left NJ as soon as I could and haven’t been back to AC since.
If I had to go back with a gun to my head, I’d visit Harrah’s or Borgata. Not my scene, but had a lot of fun back in the day the two times I was there.
Is that a Mazda speed 3 or regular 3
I followed the Revel history intently when living in the area. They made many mistakes in terms of attracting gambling. They were targeting the rich gamblers, and not your average gamblers.
1. There were many escalators ride to get to the gambling floor. They were very high and scary. All of the other casinos can just be accessed within a few steps from the Boardwalk.
2. They didn't want any buses, especially those from NYC and Philly, to stop over. Those "kind of people" wasn't what they were aiming for. Of course, they quickly changed their stance.
3. The rewards program only had 1 tier, unlike all other casinos' programs. This pissed off the rich gamblers, who has no incentives to gamble even more. Again, they had to change to appeased everyone.
As for the power plant, that was a set of it's own issue. The company that built it was lending the casinos the money. Every month, the casino had to pay back millions of dollars, just to cover the debt.
The escalators in the boardwalk entrance lobby couldn't have been to code.
Those escalators looked terrifying.
Doug Le they did the same thing with the Encore in Boston. Tried to hard to attract high rollers that never came.. it’s too fancy for then average joe and is now floundering. Average joes still head to either Foxwoods or Mo Sun.
good riddance ... Turn them into something creative valuable and helpful to the environment like a recycling plant
It was also the only totally smoke free casino in A.C. They should do the mall on the boardwalk if not already......that's a ghost town, too.
I love this hotel-casino. It is now called Ocean Casino Resort. The rooms are still nicer than other nearby major hotel-casinos. The table games have the best minimum and variety of game choices with bj surrender. Also the comps are great including rooms. I just stayed there today and it is busy.
Why does this seem like a paid comment by the hotel lol 😂 I know it’s not bc why would they care but lol
@@laneyhesse8102 no its true, i live 40 mine from AC so i go once in a while. oceans is my go-to now for gambling. they really did a good job with it. its the best in my opinion.
It is a beautiful property. Just ignore the struggles and enjoy what is currently available.
It’s now Ocean Casino and it’s my go to place!
It’s open again?? Wow I haven’t been there since like 2011
@@michaellee8815 I did security for them for a year. Started off rocky business wise but the sports bet really bought business back to it.
@@TTLOSF so you’re saying as of dec. 2020 it’s open and doing well?
@@bobsmithinson2050 yup
@@TTLOSF thanks for replying. Well that’s a happy ending to this very depressing video
I’ve been to Atlantic City. There is legit 3rd world poverty, abandoned lots and houses next to billion dollar casinos. It’s surreal.
Late-stage capitalism at its finest. Make America Great Again!!! Hahahaha!!!
You are correct but do you think this is the fault of the casinos and gambling? Every year the city collects more than $200 million in property taxes from the casinos. Can you see how those billions of dollars have been spent? Of course not. Is that the fault of the casinos or the legendary corruption and ineptitude of the state and local governments. Movies and tv series have been made about this corruption. Occasionally some of the politicians are put in prison. This is your government dollars at work.
@@clydecavalieri8490 The casinos owners are the ones who profit from it and pay off the municipal, state, and Congressional politicians. What do you think super pacs are for? The government and casino owners are one and the same here.
@@soulscanner66 I understand that you might think everything is the fault of evil capitalism, but most cities would kill for the kind of revenue stream AC has and wastes. The cities budget is $210 million and the city takes in more than that in casino property taxes. They also get over $60 million in state and federal aid. This is not even counting everyone else's taxes, fines and fees in a city of less than 40,000.
@@clydecavalieri8490 I'm all for capitalism in theory, just not this predatory kind where the government cleans up the mess left by billionaire land speculators because they're the same people. The taxpayer cleans up the mess while the billionaire mafiosos run off with all the money. Taxpayer take the risk, while the 5th avenue New York billionaires get the profits. That's capitalism in practice. It's a club, and we're not invited. Christie, Morgan Stanley, Trump, and the Gottis.
When you put a hotel on Boardwalk and no one ever lands on it.
nice
😎👍
😂
Genius
I take it was built in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Atlantic City as a whole is worthy of an abandoned episode, I went like six years ago and it’s… sad.
It’s even sadder now. Oceans and Harrah’s are the only hotels keeping it alive imo.
They should really use it as a homeless shelter. I know it’s sounds rediculous but there is enough space to house those in need and maybe even it will revitalize their lives and the economy with jobs. Let’s face Atlantic City is not coming back to being Las Vegas of the East, we might as well use it for good
It is a bustling beach resort in the Summer. Not really much different than a suburban Mall in the middle of February. EMPTY. It is a three months summer resort, the rest of the year, it does struggle.
I remember staying the Revel when I was 15. My parents took us there back in 2012 and it was cool, but the service and hotel amenities were shitty. It was a failure from the start. I remember my dad complaining about the casinos there.
I just went back last night for the first time in 11 years and I forgot it was the Revel. It’s now the Ocean and it is awesome. Looks so much better and can tell it’s doing better as far as I know. It was nice to be back though.
You know the project is destined for failure when a major investment Bank is willing to take a $900 million loss to get out
Yep ... they can just continue to rip off consumers with high interest rates.
lol, it was the time of the big short
One firms trash is another firms....
you get the gist of it. They have a 20 acre waterfront parcel ... along the Atlantic Ocean. And a structure, to boot. Not bad for 80 million. It’s still 4 million an acre...!
Should just stayed into it at that point
Hey cash watch all your trucking videos
Let me tell you, I was around when this monster took place.. Not only was every surrounding state legalizing gambling, but casinos in Atlantic City were already failing.... Why would any investors allow money to be spent to the tune of 2.4 BILLION dollars. Currently the Ocean Club is doing well, but still 12 floors are vacant, and it does seem the building is unfinished.... Great job Jake, as always, your so great at what you do!!!
They had just rebranded and re opened a budget type casino on the waaaaay other side of revel called Atlantic Club casino ....it lasted like a year and hurricane sandy killed it. Revel went bankrupt the same month it opened I think? I haven't watched the video yet
@@pika23 yeah it was Hilton for a long time, then Atlantic Club came, and it was terrible and closed. Atlantic Club is still on the building, and last year part of the overhang where you would check in at collapsed and it had to be repaired even though it's abandoned. Majority of those casinos could be imploded and they would be doing the city of favor. They are from a era long ago.
And people rather go to Macau so even Las Vegas took a hit.
@@Scarsofevil Las Vegas took a big hit last years. Macau is doing somwhat "okay-ish", but margins are getting lower. Times are changing.
How's the seafood?
I’ve been fascinated with this complex since it first opened. It’s a stunning tower complex. Yet just across the street sits empty lots. It was ambitious to say the least to build such a giant structure at the north end of Atlantic City.
I hope in the near future it finds success and breathes life into the whole surrounding area.
They have now reopened as Ocean Casino Resort and are incredibly popular - its a great hotel and casinoe now - would highly recommend
First and only mistake was building it in AC. It’s been washed up for decades.
I go there every year and it really is making a comeback tho
Well, online gambling is hurting everyone really. The issue with this project was the scale. With that much space you could have 10,000 people there and it'd still look empty. People don't like that. I personally don't like crowds but I don't like being the only one on a hotel floor either. I used to travel a lot for business and I stayed at one place in Denver and I had the whole floor to myself.
Same as the GF and I rented a cottage up North one winter and were the only people there. We were sitting in our living room enjoying a fire one afternoon and the phone rang and they asked us what we wanted for dinner lol. Some things too a while to cook (like a roast) so they gave us a selection of half a dozen entrees. It was pretty funny.
NJ and A.C are just putting all their eggs in one basket by relying on the gaming industry to save that county. They need to diversify their anchor industries like pretty much every successful city does instead of just staying a one trick show.
Not only are they trying too hard to be like Miami and Las Vegas, but they keep comparing themselves to those cities, which to me just means those cities are more tourist worthy. At least you can enjoy the water in October in Miami, unlike A.C. Having nightlife and entertainment is fine and needed in a city, but in most cities they're just an accessory as other present industries in a successful city will mean higher paying jobs and more disposable income. A.C kept trying to open high-end shopping in a county where the residents didn't have that kind of spending power.
Recently, they opened a branch campus for Stockton University by the boardwalk, which is a good step in the right direction. At this point, Atlantic County just has to become a regular city rather than just a tourist town. They've been trying to make it a gaming hub for decades only to get the same results, now they have to invest in other industries to bring the city back. I can think of a bunch of potential industries the county can invest in right now.
Kehwanna exactly, I shortened the response. Well said
@@Kehwanna That's why vegas changed their casinos from simply gambling to "family vacation spots". Paris, Venice, etc gave people another reason to go besides gambling.
There's Rama casino close to where I live and I have never heard an ad on the radio for the casino but constantly hear about what bands are playing at their concert venue.
Maybe designing the building in the shape of a credit card wasn’t a good idea
Damn that's funny
every credit card I've ever seen is a rectangle and this building looks particularly unique because it is not a rectangle, so I don't get it
Ion Ymous I have failed the comedy...i dunno that was the first thing I saw but upon inspection it’s a nice modern building obviously.
Looks like a PlayStation 4.. Lol!
Kenrick Eason lololol
I'm getting addicted to Bright Sun videos...
i just went maybe about a week ago and actually got to go inside the base of the second building because if you go left in "the park" there are doors into the building, a worker saw me but he said that they don't really care when people go in their but he said they do have security that walks through the building every here and there because people tend to come off the boardwalk and sleep in there. unfortunately i did not get any pics but he said that Ocean uses the top floor as just storage and they simply leave the doors open for the workers if they ever need to get in or through. all it is inside is just one simple really wide staircase that actually runs completely adjacent to the hotel and casino. it brings you to the bottom floor/ground level and it dumps you out into the back street but you can get back into the hotel by going back through the tunnel for leaving the parking deck or valet. it was a really cool experience.
Why someone would build that monster in Atlantic City is just insane. It’s either money laundering or criminal negligence...
They had good intentions sir.
less local tourism in that area maybe
@@trailerparksupervisor7046 Same thing with resorts world in Upstate NY (Monticello).
zxzxzxz zxzxzxzx Comparable risk and just as legal as what actually happened.
Both...
At least the Revel had a chance to open. Here in Las Vegas, The Drew Hotel (formerly known as The Fontainebleau) has been standing empty for years without ever opening. It's about 90 percent complete but it's just a creepy eyesore. Now the projected opening date is November 2022. That will be 15 years after construction started in 2007.
@Rapid Revolt Turns out being old has it's blessings, after all. I won't have to worry a bit.
Too bad, so sad, what a terrible time to be young! The US went through this 100 years ago. Most of you will be miserable, but most will survive the next decade.
@Rapid Revolt You ever thought it may never recover through mew laws and Control.
I live in NJ and enjoy going to Atlantic City. I have to tell you that after watching this excellent piece you’ve done on the Revel, it reminded me of something a security guard said to me on the casino floor of the Hard Rock Casino, formerly Trump Taj Majal. I said to him that the place was bigger and better with more of everything than it was before when it was the Taj. He asked me if I thought it would last. My answer was that if people could win on the casino floor and they made things happen that would attract customers, then it would be fine. On our trip we had free tickets to see Bob Dylan. If they got greedy and it was not interesting to go to then it might not. I could not get into the Taj when it was closed but I got into the Showboat and took pictures of the empty casino floor with broken gaming lights and garbage cans around. I had. Lot of fun in those places 30 years ago. Saxman
this gets recommended to me as I'm literally staying at the new Ocean Casino right now
True what you say, there’s just something off about the whole thing.
Just when it was about to go in the right direction covid killed it and I just dont see this kind of building design working in this kind if an area
@@kobra6660 I think that's a good point.
@@kobra6660 It is something I would suspect to be built in Florida, maybe somewhere in Cali or Texas, but not Atlantic City, it just doesn't fit the style or feel of the city. It looks out of place and built very much in defiance of the area.
I remember being a security guard at the Taj Mahal after coming back from Afghanistan, and looking over the construction of the Revel from a window each Morning and thinking how stupid it is to keep building that thing when every casino was losing money. Now the Revel is gone and so is the Taj Mahal. Luckily, I was fired before this happened for fighting a drug dealer on the boardwalk. Damn cameras.
If they knew he was a drug dealer...why were they bothered?
Paul Duca They told me I was a liability at that point. Some context is a few weeks earlier some guy cursed me out on the radio who works in the basement that I never met. I rolled up my sleeves and went down there to kick his ass, and it turned out it was a woman with a deep raspy voice. I simply told her she shouldn’t talk to people like that and walked away, but the incident still got to management. In all honesty, I was a little angry back then and had some things I had to work through. Nevertheless, a few months after I left somebody walked in and shot a pit boss right in the head and killed him. That guy was on a watchlist and shouldn’t have been allowed in the casino. I still wonder if I could’ve stopped that if I was on the floor.
@@MaverickSteffen *I was a little angry back then and had some things I had to work through*
Say like, fighting a war halfway around the world?
I used to work for the VA Medical Center, and when I’m done with Nursing school, I’m making a B line straight back to the VA. I love my vets; you did what a lot of us won’t or can’t do. Stay frosty my man.
"... fighting a drug dealer ... " as it turns out, not that different to what you were doing in Afghanistan. Get well and stay well.
@@soulscanner66 Afghanistan is the biggest exporter of raw opium on the world market if I remember correctly and that is the legal drug they grow and sell.
While the casino was transitioning from the old Revel to Ocean, I was there working on taking down and moving almost all the cameras on the gaming floor. While there, I got a little history lesson from a higher up about the failures of the old Revel. People here already mentioned about the no smoking issue. That was huge. I believe a few months before they closed, they opened up some smoking sections but it still failed to help them stay afloat. Now, the most interesting parts. This is what I was told and Im just passing it along. The Revel owners didnt own any of the restaurants or clubs in the Casino. They were rented out. Well when the big spenders got sent to the restaurants to be comped, the casino would get back enormous bills. Also, the HQ club that is located on multiple floors of the casino, was a gold mine and the casino was only charging them 100k per month. The club, on most summer days, was making over 300k a day! I think they begged to be allowed to keep running when the Revel closed but got denied. Once again, this is what I was told.
Thanks to the Smithsonian channel show "Arial America" for showing New Jersey and Atlantic City. It prompted me to find out about the massive REVEL hotel and I found your story on this facility. VERY interesting and hope the place stays running now that we are getting past Covid. Great narration and amazing footage. Such a shame that Atlantic City struggles so much.
Keep filming, great stories.
It boils down to the old adage, "Know your audience." AC is not, and never was, Las Vegas.
Seems Las Vegas isn't Las Vegas any more. Vegas is effectively a big burning pit right now. Has been for a while. Crime, leftist from Cali coming in, etc. Far cry from what it was a year ago.
right, Atlantic city was never in a position to handle Vegas class casinos.
RIGHT!
@@robertthomas5906 Yesss the Leftists from California are destroying the great City of Sin.
AC was once the world's playground where people from all over went to drink and gamble but that was nearly a century ago
Man, everything about Atlantic City is so depressing when you look at it
Amy Daskilewicz It has nothing to offer. Its a dump...a has been town.
It really is, which is quite sad. I used to go a lot to Atlantic City as a kid (my father would give my grandparents $20 each since they loved slot machines, while he, my mom, and I would relax by the beach) so I have some fond memories of the area. What killed it was the over reliance on the casino resorts instead of cleaning up the beach. The beach water is honestly disgusting, and most people from NJ quickly their were much better beaches to go to instead of AC. The only reason why some NJ citizens still go to AC is if they have business in the area. It sucks because AC used to be nice, but now it is a ghost town during off season, and has very dirty beach and water areas during peak season.
It is very depressing, Honestly don't live very far from Atlantic City. It's cheaper for me to fly to Vegas and stay there then it is to stay in AC overnight.
Like that song from the 80s by Bruce Springsteen "everything dies in Atlantic City"
@@stephenlevine3116 not to forget the fact that you will probably get robbed in AC..
I've lived, and still live in Atlantic City and the revel is now called Ocean resort hotel and casino, and is a top two Casino/Hotel in Atlantic City today!
"It was Revel that had the gambling problem" Well said.
I stayed there once. I was amazed how cheap the rooms were, and how empty the place was. I had a room 3/4 of the way up that had an ocean view, and it was under $100/night.
Imagine finally making money on something then COVID hits.
Yeah, let's all have a good cry for the poor dear investors in this vital project.
Imagine destroying the economy for the flu
@@SleepExports Well, the Orange Man is bad after all...
/s
Yep exactly. The money bags are still to blame but imagine your 1.2 billion (or whatever number you choose) being reduced to 32 million. I mean, obviously they can stand to lose it because they had it in the first place...but most of us cant afford to even get in the freaking front door when the place was open to the public.
Also thought it was kinda eerie that rich man letting pics be clicked of him in front of slots turned off electrically and the only light was sunlight from the windows
You and dme both
The irony was not lost. Good little documentary.
Love how you walk us through the history in a very informative and interesting way. Great videos! 👍
Hotel: “Finally, I’m profitable. 2020 is gonna be a good year.”
COVID: “I’m about to ruin this mans whole career.”
😂😂😂😂
2008: Come on in, the economy's fine. Psyche!
2028: Hold my beer!
Just wear a mask. In michigan you can gamble now in our casinos if wearing a mask. But dammit still cant go to the corner bar or get your hair cut.
@@immortalsofar5314 hold my beer is an understatement and thank you my friend for bringing it all down to a level us grunts can understand.
Peace bro, wish the best for you
an empty casino mega-hotel seems like a great way to convert to provide affordable housing
As someone that has been pretty obsessed with the story of Revel, I can honestly say you did an awesome job with this video. However, I have 2 slight corrections to things you said:
1) It wasn't the city that cut off service to the Revel when Glen Straub owned it, it was a private utility company. When Revel was first being built, Revel built it's own state of the art electric and water plant to service the massive building. When construction stopped and they were looking for funding, one of the ways they got additional money to complete the building was to sell the utility plant to a private company and sign an agreement with that company to buy their water and electricity to them. The agreement was structured such that Revel needed to pay a huge fixed price every month plus pay for its usage. This came out to more than $3M each month and was one of the main reasons they were losing money. Since such a high overhead for utilities would make the building unprofitable to operate, most bidders were deterred from placing bids for Revel, allowing Straubb to buy it for such a low price. Once he owned it, he fought with the utility company for months until they caved and sold the plant back to him at a loss, making the operation of that resort economical for the first time.
2) The hedge fund that took over Ocean did so prior to Bruce Deifik's passing. He ran out of cash before he could make it profitable and couldn't pay back the money owed to the hedge fund. This caused the hedge fund to force him hand over ownership in the property. He passed away shortly after.
Bonus fun fact: as part of the sale agreement from Glen Straub to Oceanwalk, Straub will continue to receive money for each car parked at Ocean for years to come.
Its now the Ocean Casino and its awesome!
A perfect example of the reckless hubris of these developers and the crooked politicians who enable them. They come in and slap together a monstrosity like this, then leave contractors and workers holding the bag while they slip out the back door of bankruptcy. Then they move on to ruin some other neighborhood somewhere else while they take advantage of a system specifically designed to benefit their class. Disgusting.
Exactly!
Its easy to say but financial crashes and natural disasters are unpredictable, in other circumstances it may have turned out better. Everything is a gamble in life.
@@churblefurbles lol not even close to the reality.
what are you talking about? the workers and the contractors are the only ones who made money on this dump.
@@MaxStevenson-ih5ji Please go back and watch the video.
I used to love Atlantic city but they never took into consideration that eventually casinos would open up all over the country. Eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland took a lot of their business
Yeah but look how long it took for them to come. Those places have to be careful with putting all their eggs in one basket. I've been to all 3 and they're still a little different.
AC got cocky, thinking PA and MD folks would never gamble locally, but boy was AC wrong! Showboat was a great place in its day, but even that's now only a hotel--no gambling. AC needs some family-friendly attractions to get people in to spend money, but the surrounding neighborhoods will continue to scare people away. It's just not a family-friendly town.
I liked hearing your opinion on how you felt being at this hotel. I love the “feeling” buildings can give us; an uncertainty about its own future so much so that it graces you with that vibe. I look forward to the next video you do on this building if you do revisit it in the future due to it closing its doors once again.
The resort is beautiful. I go down to AC quite a bit and I always swing by oceans when I’m there. I’ve stayed there a couple of times and the rooms are great. I hope they do well and remain open for many years.
I don’t know what it is about this building, but it gives me major anxiety.
totally, so big, cold....useless, ...
It looks so completely out of place, in the middle of a rundown neighborhood
It really looks like a major safety hazard for the people inside it.
Some worker fell and died there.
Ah every NJ resident is screaming right now:
*CHRISTIEEEE*
A geez you are following me
Did they ever get their 200 million dollar investment back? Or just another foolish use of tax money?
christofah
Must be a Jersey thing
@@bmstylee ah hahahahahahaha nothing that Christie did for the "good" of Jersey ever helped NJ residents
It's def finished now! Ocean is lovely. My fav place in AC. Absolute best pools.
I worked in the construction of this building… it was beautiful designed and enormous! I was there during the first shut down and returned when the project had resumed… I would have never imagined that it would go through such a roller coaster of misfortunes…. I’m glad it’s finally opened and I still occasionally visit there… thanks for the video!👍🏼👍🏼
It looks like the biggest problem is that it was just built in the wrong place. Look at what’s around it. Why would anyone want to go there?
The only reason I could think of someone wanting to stay there is maybe because of all the other great beach towns around that area
The biggest problem is that it was built.
@@jacksongatens2419 You could say that about any casino in Atlantic City. AC is mostly a shithole as soon as you leave the casino area. But other casinos did just fine for decades in AC. This looks more like poor timing and mismanagement to me.
@nightshaded Found the bennie trash.
When I was a kid in the early 70's I don't remember the wasteland areas all around AC now. It was a nice place for families back then.
Larry Silverstein would have insured it for for $4.5 Billion then "Pulled It". He would collect the insurance money and built a new non tainted property.
Man bro I just was th about 911 and was like damn Americans still believe terrorist did 911 if u watch the building of the wtc I mean the amount of steel and concrete u could literally Crash ten plans into it and it would still be standing it’s sad the world we live in . I mean why I. The fuck is people so stupid and always arguing and protesting criminals being killed by cops but when we try having our country and rights stolen from us in plain sight and they don’t even see it
@Diggy d which he did and all within hours on 911......and he would double up on business interruption coverage for COVID-119
The Revel murdered itself when they tried to open as a non smoking casino. What percentage of gamblers *DON'T* smoke? 😂😂😂
I love how the shot at 1:30 shows the apartment building both my Grandmother and Great Grandmother live in. Literally grew up watching the Revel being built and then closed and then opened again.
When you started the story with "In 2007...." I was like "Welp, shame that."
Just stayed 3 days at oceans. Probably the best and cleanest casino in ac. Imo
It's always packed and we are lucky we can get a room
My hands at 10:59 minutes. Ocean was doing great in 2019 and early 20 until Mr. Virus showed up. Its a beautiful Hotel and Casino and great people to work with and for. I'm sure she's making a great come back as its busier than the other houses in town and very clean. Good luck and enjoy your experience!
Glad to see Atlantic city finally getting some love lots of abandoned casinos there but they have finally torn most of them down recently
I was there for work during the Soft Opening in 2012. A number of things came to mind while I was there. 1st and foremost, I always said that they built a Las Vegas Strip casino... 3,000 miles off The Strip. They definitely overspent for the area. It was nice to be in a non-smoking casino. It was odd for me seeing windows in a casino, but I did enjoy the view of the Atlantic and the Boardwalk. Usually casinos don't have windows so you don't have a concept of time while playing.
The way these slots are set to give Lottery winnings instead of line hits, nobody gambles for more than a few minutes anyway. The days of milking a bucket of quarters for an entire day are long gone. Jackpot or bust society.
I’ve been here a couple of times. The problem is the casino is located more towards the edge of Atlantic City and no one wants to drive there to gamble. They drive right in and pick the first few casinos. Online gambling started to become a thing when this first went up also so that made a big impact also. I think people of today realize that the house always wins. People don’t gamble like they used to in the 80s 90s.
The casino is smack dab in the middle of the notorious "crack-alley", and section 8 housing. People with money will stay by the marina hotels,and NOT go to the north end of the boardwalk...
It’s so beautiful it makes Vegas look secondary. I worked at the Wynn in Vegas and this is over the top
Lol was just there a few nights ago.... I’ve been a fan since revel. Ocean is the hotel I love to go to, back then it was the place for DJ sets and getting wild at the clubs, forget premier, forget the pool after dark & haven, HQ was the spot. Hopefully most things open back up fully this year, but if you have a chairman’s card it hardly matters. It’s my favorite place to stay- and that’s that I was a waterclub lifer.
Ocean is by far my favorite AC destination resort. One thing you didn't mention was that when Revel was open it tried to be the only non smoking casino in AC, gamblers like to smoke and I think a large part of their demise was the non smoking rule. Ocean is staffed with amazing workers who are so kind and so helpful, even post Covid I feel safe there. Clean teams are working, sanitizer and wipes are abundant, Terry the new CEO is doing a great job leading this casino through the most difficult year possible. It will remain my happy place for as long as it is open!
When I saw the title I thought, how can a casino be abandoned. And then I saw that it was in Jersey and no more questions were needed.
I stayed there last weekend. It was actually super nice and best place I've stayed in AC. Glad they were able to reopen it
I was there in December. It was desolate to say the least. Nice though.
I'm a Jersey shore native but I've been away for several years and had no idea it was open again! Everyone I know still calls it the Revel, as far as I'm aware. I had friends that were hired there when it was first built but they were hired with the understanding that it wouldn't be a long term thing - they KNEW they were going to go under from the getgo. And long before it finished construction there were many rumors circulating that it was already preparing to declare bankruptcy. I only visited once when it first opened - just out of curiosity while taking a walk from my folk's house nearby, and man, that thing was a spooky ghost town! AC casinos in general have been on a downwards doomspiral ever since Philadelphia legalized gambling and set up its own stuff, then the recession was the next gut-punch, and now Covid.
It was a good idea to open it just to show it was ready for occupancy. I like it. I am not interested in the drama of ownership and gaming licenses. As old Leona would say: "That's for the little people to worry about". Place is new and is open for business on the beach.
Definitely one of the best channels on CZcams!
Noreen's Kitchen yep! Agreed
So true !!!!!!
Google global truth project and click "The Present" tab to see the truth about life/death in four pages.
Yeah for someone who uses the word abandoned instead of bankrupt
Yeah
Amazing video as always Jake! I was super excited to see this in my subscriptions since im from ny and have visited atlantic city many times. I went to a concert at the revel in 2012 and was blown away at the scale and modern architecture, but I do remember a sort of unfinished & eerie vibe in there. Glad you got to visit!
David Seymour OH MY GOD HI DAVID,I have a video idea for you,try making 3 different mcdonalds chicken nugget recipes.i know Joshua weissman has a recipe but I’m not sure about babyish and tasty and other channels,either way it’s an idea
Thanks so much David!
David Seymour I love you
@Karl M Not sure that there's much overlap between Trekkies and casino gamblers, but that's certainly an interesting format idea... Could you imagine holding a Trek convention there and not being able to tell the patrons from the staff?
@Karl M And no staff would want to wear red shirts, LOL!
What a beautiful exterior! I'm in awe! So beautiful with the ocean 🌊 and sunset 🌇!!! Congratulations and welcome to Atlantic City 🏙️
Was there when they first opened. It was wonderful to be there. You could tell it was unfinished.
If New Jersey property tax wasn't astronomical, that would make an incredible project for offices / boutique condo living.
Steven Biars No it wouldn’t. Businesses are not interested in placing offices in Atlantic City nor does anyone want to pay exorbitant rent to live there.
🤣
It’s why I don’t ever consider any single property anywhere in New Jersey! New York property taxes for a place like New Jersey? It just doesn’t make sense. What do they think they’re doing? I’d rather PA, or even Connecticut, for all that property tax.
Actually “Rob Radical,” businesses and investors are driven away by the exorbitant property taxes. It’s true. It’s a major factor. If property taxes were similar to, oh I don’t know, their southern neighbor known as “the first state,” trust me... many more people would be investing in New Jersey. Property taxes do play a major role. But I take it that there are particular characters and figures who want to keep property taxes at such a high rate for their... own peculiar reasonings.
Only One Knows Best.
@@robradical7213 it’s a shithole and it being in New Jersey don’t help it
A bit like an office tower in Compton. _"Location. Location. Location."_
Ah yes a perfect time to make an Ocean Casino Resort, 2008... perfect.
Well the project dates back to 2006 and no one would have predicted a recession by then.
@@dundee6402 Elizabeth Warren saw it coming. She had been warning since at least 2004 of exactly what happened to cause the reccession.
@@tylerkochman1007
Plenty of people saw it coming. But they stayed in because it wasn't coming *just yet* and they could still make some more money. And then it suddenly came, property values crashed, investors lost billions, and I bought a house.
Rowdy Jr. 2020 had actually a worse stock market crash now
WOW! I grew up right across the bridge from AC. happy you covered it!
I'm originally from South Jersey. Echoing what I said about the American Dream video New Jersey is loaded with crony politics and botched business deals. It's made the state unaffordable for many.
I am an Iron Worker from Easton PA and was working on the Sands in 2008 when everything fell apart. The company I was working for sent me to work on the Revel in AC and I had never seen anything like that job site. The things that were going on there were wild as hell and I worked on site over the winter just to watch that job fall apart as well. 😑
Should've put that money into redevelopment in the area and built nice houses and turn it into an appealing neighborhood's instead of pulling out
There's nobody to live in an appealing neighborhood. One block from the casinos and poverty is all you see.
@@dansdinc than it should've been a sign that it's not the right area for a casino hotel to be it would just give off a bad image to some people
The guy that bought it for 82 million might have been better off converting to a condominium building. Although sales of the condominiums would have been slow. In the end with patience it would have been profitable I believe. He did do well anyway by flipping it to another buyer for 200 million after only spending a few million on maintenance during his ownership.
@@stevehoward3049 nobody wants to live in Atlantic City. Not even the residents. All but one mayor has gotten in trouble or done jail time in the past 50 years, the casinos do their best to convince people not to go out the doors lest you get mugged or die, and as you saw in that video, the whole north end of town is blighted. Many of those issues are related to the casino redevelopment authority (crda) that bought up blocks and blocks of homes in the interest or "redeveloping" them and did nothing more than leveling them while squabbling what to do. Atlantic City is also a "dumping ground" for unwanted and homeless people. Many of the local towns take their homeless to AC's shelter and leave them. New Jersey itself, rather than reinvesting into AC took the money up north for projects up that way. It is politics that has failed the queen of resorts
@@sailingspark9748 I have never been to Atlantic City. I'm saddened to hear that. Hope some day things get better there.
That was one powerful escalator to carry Chris Christie...
Stayed there back in Sept of 2019, I thought it was a nice place. The room was awesome and we got it for a steal as well! Had no idea it had such a detailed past.
Dang we’re hitting close to home the more episodes of Abandoned being in Jersey. Just waiting for a Philly episode. 😅
Oceans Resort is actually so nice! Im from Jersey and whenever I go to AC, I alwaysss walk allll the way down the boardwalk to go inside and go on the long escalator! Theres a small, secluded beach right in front of it that is way nicer than the big, mainstream boardwalk beach. Totally should check it out!
angelxca Thanks but...Of all the places in US to visit, Atlantic City isn’t one of them.
Great video. I've always wanted to see the inside. I watched the first tower being erected from the 23rd floor of the Flagship and had an eerie, unsettling feeling just watching it go up.
Good gosh.I've been binge watching for 2 days and am a Sub now too.I just realized I've gone back in time.Thanks for all these interesting videos.I'm hoping to hit 2018,and forget 2020 altogether.
I worked there the year it opened. It was one of the greatest years of my life but there was always this weird looming sense that everything was on the verge of being shutdown.
there was no demand for something like this in atlantic city
If you never have balls, how do you expect to be great?
@@Samuelfish2k you need to use your brain with your balls atlantic city was dying and they decided to build a giant glass casino hotel while a whole load of others were going bankrupt and abandoned
Considering there's been little demand for an east coast Vegas for decades, I gotta agree.
Sadok Barbouche
Alright disregard my comment.
Sadok Barbouche so basically it was a building that was built in the wrong time in the wrong place? Genuine question as im in England.
Nice one! Thanks, Jake, for another interesting episode.
GEORGIOUS, STUNNING, MAGNIFICENT CAMERA WORK FROM YOUR AUDIOVISUAL TEAM.
I honestly love Bright Sun films, and can binge it ALL DAY! Such a great channel, and the 'Abandoned' series is my FAV!
Thank you so much!!!
After all that, COVID hits.
It’s like when you see someone get the shit kicked out of them on tv & then a random dog comes in to urinate as he’s lying there in a vegetative state.
Yeah, that's why these mega projects just aren't sustainable anymore. There are too many unknowns in our world today (from pandemics to recession. etc)
@@GarikDuvall It's not the virus that helped put to rest this kind of project, but the lock down, which in itself is a wrong political response to a sanitary issue. Everytime a state locks down its citizens it always brings catastrophic consequences.
@@julosx or.. how about 3 generations of spoiled shitheads (the western world) raised to be selfish not taking an emergency seriously, and poor leadership not inspiring anyone to take it seriously.
It's horrible news for a developer. I wouldn't do something this massive because it takes too long and there are too many unknowns like recessions that happen every 10ish years it seems.
Also an interesting fact, Revel is where Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice beat the hell out of his fiancée in an elevator.
Wow. lol
Very true indeed lol
that elevator video was viciousness. 😐😐😐
I always stay here, when it was revel and now oceans
Abandoned now
@@andrewpatterson9045 no its not. Its now ocean resort. And its doing great!
@@brandondonath2590 really? What a hoax this video is.
Exactly it’s not abandoned lol they just renamed it.
Watched it go up . . . as I guested, at the Showboat ! 😁 😬 hmmmmm . . . .
What a great episode. My family and I are semi-regulars in Atlantic City. And when I walked up and down the boardwalk when I was there last year, I remember passing by Ocean Casino, and thinking it looked kinda sketchy despite it being so modern and fairly new. I know it had kind of a rocky history, but I didn’t know it was this tumultuous.
You guys could probably do several episodes of Abandoned on sites in Atlantic City, like trump plaza, the pipe organ at the old Convention Hall, and the half-dozen large resorts on the south end of the boardwalk, past Tropicana, that are boarded up and decrepit. Keep up the great work, Jake and co.
You go there on a hot Summer day, you would ever know there have been struggles with ownership. Why would you care? You are at a beach resort.