Days after word broke that New Jersey lawmakers were looking into easing up on a 2011 legislation allowing boutique casinos in Atlantic City, the Chelsea hotel owner, Curtis Bashaw, expressed interest in opening a casino in his hotel. It’s not exactly as grandiose as Revel’s proclamations back in 2012, but at least it’s something.
If Bashaw gets his wish, a boutique casino inside The Chelsea hotel would be the first casino to open in the seaside town since Revel made its highly publicized debut in 2012. Bashaw has been interested in putting up a casino inside his hotel in the past, but restrictions in the bill prevented him from getting this plans off the ground.
“We have always been interested in the idea of adding a gaming amenity to The Chelsea,” Bashaw told The Associated Press. “It’s a boutique hotel; we don’t have room for a big casino. But the bill that passed prevented us from taking advantage.”
Bashaw was referring to a couple of requirements contained in the 2011 bill, specifically a stipulation that a boutique casino would only be allowed on new constructions, as opposed to putting it up on an existing building. But with the state of Atlantic City becoming more and more dire, state lawmakers recently decided to scrap this requirement and another one that obligated boutique hotels to expand to 500 rooms if they wanted to get dibs on a boutique casino.
The softening requirements is likely the opening Bashaw has been waiting for. With the removal of the two requirements, the owner of The Chelsea hotel is already lining up a proposal involving close to 25 to 30 gambling tables in his joint, with the possible addition of instructional sessions for neophytes on how to play any of the games the hotel will likely offer.
“It would be a very intimate experience,” he said. “The casino would be a desirable place to go and learn to play and hang out with your friends.”
The size of The Chelsea hotel could help Bashaw achieve his objective of making the casino experience in his hotel “intimate.” He certainly doesn’t have any illusions about competing with the mega casinos in some of the AC’s remaining resorts and casinos. “I think there is too much capacity of the one-size-fits-all gaming floor that dominates Atlantic City,” he said.
“We don’t want to compete with the mega-gaming halls. We want to give the customer an opportunity to broaden the experience; people are always looking for different experiences.”
