Bruce Deific, who brought back Atlantic City’s former Revel casino, has died in a single-car crash in Denver at the age of 64.
Deifik led a group that purchased the closed Revel from Florida developer Glenn Straub last year and reopened it in June. The casino, however, continued to lose money leading to a takeover by New York hedge fund Luxor Capital, a major lender to the casino. The deal to transfer ownership has not been completed.
The accident happened as Deifik was driving home from a Colorado Rockies baseball game in his hometown of Denver, his lawyer, Paul O’Gara, told the Associated Press. The cause of the crash and Deifik’s cause of death are still under investigation.
O’Gara said there is a possibility that Deifik suffered a medical crisis behind the wheel. Reports said the vehicle he was driving suddenly swerved across two lanes of traffic and struck a utility pole.
The Denver Medical Examiner Office told the AP that Deifik was found dead at the scene of a “single-car, low-speed auto crash.” It said an autopsy has been completed, and the cause of death remains under investigation.
“We are saddened to learn that Bruce Deifik, former owner of Ocean Resort Casino, has passed away,” said casino spokeswoman Diane Spiers. “The Ocean family is grateful for Bruce having the vision to reopen this beautiful oceanfront property and employing over 3,000 members of our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Deifik had several successful developments in Colorado including shopping centers, before buying the Ocean Resort. In September, Deifik opened up the casino after severe storms hit the southeastern U.S. and put up hundreds of families up for free at the casino hotel for a few days until conditions improved.
However, he also faced two charges of sexual harassment at the casino before New Jersey gaming regulators, who were set to hold hearings to revoke his gambling license in the state. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement had also moved to restrict Deifik’s ability to interact with employees while the takeover was underway, but then adjourned the action after Deifik’s death.
O’Gara, Deifik’s attorney told the Press of Atlantic City that the filing “was just a complaint,” and declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, improvements continue at the casino, which has announced a minor branding change. The casino will now be called the Ocean Casino Resort.
“We are making so many positive changes, it was important to us that our name and brand reflect our commitment to property improvements and to delivering an unparalleled gaming experience,” said Mike Donovan, the property’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer in a press release. “We have changed the name to Ocean Casino Resort because we are dedicated to putting the casino customer first.”
Luxor Capital is making a $70 million investment into the property.
