NJ Casino News: Weekly Roundup

Get the latest casino news and updates in New Jersey for this week (August 21, 2021 – August 27, 2021).

Tropicana Is Hosting Legends in Concert This Year

The premier tribute show for top-notch impersonators is being held at the Tropicana Atlantic City this year through Sept. 6. Visual and vocal impersonators will be honoring the talents of Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Elvis Presley:

“At the end of the day, I think it’s about the music,” [Legends Vice President Gina] Capecci says. “Music is the soundtrack to your life. And I think that is what makes this show so popular not only in Atlantic City, but around the world. There is always something for everybody. We’re paying tribute to iconic entertainers with some of the best music on the planet. And I think that is what keeps people coming back.”

The Walk Opens Local Vegan Restaurant

Just a 10-minute walk from Caesars Atlantic City is The Walk, the open-air Tanger Outlets mall. It holds plenty of chain outlet stores, but it is now also home to the second location for Vegas Are Us, a local chain owned by Sharona Harris-Bunton:

[She] was welcomed to Michigan Avenue with a red carpet gala as she opened the second location of her popular restaurant, Vegans Are Us.

As only the second Black-owned independent business to occupy a piece of what is now the Tanger Outlets, and the first owned by a Black woman, Harris-Bunton’s arrival in downtown Atlantic City was definitely red-carpet worthy.

“It’s turned the world upside down in the best way,“ said Kyra Smiley, 24, a Vegans Are Us manager in training, standing happily behind the register on a recent Monday morning as the restaurant prepped for another busy day in Atlantic City, following a weekend crush with three days of Phish fans and others lining up for Harris-Bunton’s creative plant-based cuisine. ”It’s all good energy.”

Hard Rock International Appoints New Director

Hard Rock International has announced Shelley Williams as its new Director of Global Sales for Meetings and Events. She has 25 years in global hospitality and was most recently the Vice President of Sales at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City:

“Shelley’s overall experience and her intimate knowledge of our brand will be an invaluable asset to Hard Rock International especially as we continue to evolve the global sales and marketing effort in the meetings and events space,” said Danielle Babilino, Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing for Hard Rock International.

“It is a privilege to continue working with one of the world’s most globally recognized brands,” said Shelley Williams, Director Global Sales – Meetings & Events for Hard Rock International. “This exciting new role will allow me to bring innovative ideas and opportunities to our ever-growing global portfolio of hotels.”

Toby Keith Coming to the Hard Rock

Country legend Toby Keith will be performing at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City’s Etess Arena on Sept. 5:

Tickets, which can be purchased at Vividseats.com, start around $90 and work their way all the way up to $1445.

Keith burst onto the Country Music scene in the late 1980s. Some of Keith’s biggest hits are “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “It Ain’t Worth Missing,” “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action” and “Wish I Didn’t Know.”

Prepare to See More Atlantic City Sportsbooks

The sports industry has pivoted from opposing sports betting to fully embracing it. With new sports-betting partners like Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel, the NFL especially is ready to throw its weight behind sports gambling and make some hefty revenues from it:

“It’s like turning the ship 180 degrees from where the NFL was, but they’ve embraced it and it’s absolutely the right move,” [former ESPN anchor Trey] Wingo said. “At the end of the day, money is money and the NFL is really good at making money.”