Developer Glenn Straub, anxious to re-open the former Revel Casino in Atlantic City under the new name Ten, is suing New Jersey regulators for requiring him to obtain a casino license.
Straub says he plans to lease casino space at the closed resort to an outside company and should not need a full New Jersey casino license. He has filed a lawsuit against the state’s Casino Control Commission over the license requirement, though he still has a license application pending with the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.
The suit filed in Atlantic County Superior Court asks the court to rule that the commission does not need Straub to obtain a casino license. It argues that the commission’s failure to act on his petition to waive the license violates its statutory requirements.
“Mr. Straub has spent a lot of time, effort and money in trying to make Atlantic City great again,” his lawyer, David Stefankiewicz said in a press statement.
“He remains ready, willing and able to open the casino. Instead of creating roadblock after roadblock, the agency should be doing everything in its power to facilitate getting this casino opened,” the statement said. “Doing business here should not be this hard.”
State officials have not commented on the suit, but in the past, DGE officials have said they think Straub will at least need a limited form of casino licensing.
According to the suit, Straub says he “intends to be the lessor of portions of Revel for use as a casino/hotel and have no involvement in the casino/hotel’s operation other than as a lessor,” the Associated Press reported.
“Does it matter what the nature of the business being conducted is?” Stefankiewicz said. “Does a mall owner control the business of its tenants like Macy’s or Dick’s or GAP or Annie’s or any other tenant occupied space? Surely, being a lessor of a property where, among other things, a casino is being operated does not mean the lessor controls or is involved in the tenant’s business in any way.”
Straub hopes to re-open at least part of the facility this spring and has hired a management team. However, he is still seeking a number of permits from the state and city.
Straub, who purchased the $2.4 billion facility out of bankruptcy court for $82 million, has announced a wide range of attractions at Ten including a rope-climbing course; a zip-line ride; an eSports lounge where fans of online games can follow skilled players; 13 beachfront cabanas, and the conversion of part of the parking garage into a 13-story bicycle endurance course, according to the AP.
