Tropicana celebrates grand opening of new slots parlor
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Staff Writer, 609-272-7258
Published: Friday, May 16, 2008
ATLANTIC CITY - Viva la Tropicana!The down-on-its-luck casino has had little to celebrate since losing its gaming license six months ago following a disastrous reign under former owner Columbia Sussex Corp.But the champagne flowed, dancers gyrated and gamblers were serenaded with salsa music in a pulsating, Latin-style party Thursday straight out of Old Havana, Cuba.The setting was the grand opening of the new Havana Rooftop Slots, a Cuban-themed attraction designed to help rebuild Tropicana Casino and Resort's tattered public image as well as its customer base.According to the hype, slot customers will be enticed by the sights, sounds, tastes and even the smells of Old Havana. Colorful hand-painted murals depict a Caribbean party scene, Cuban music plays above the din of slot machines and the aromas of coffee and citrus fill the air.
This is the latest incarnation of a slots area located on the mezzanine level overlooking the main casino floor. Previously, it had operated under the themes "Nickel Heaven" and "Pennies from Heaven" and most recently had served as an underused area for slots and table game tournaments. Tropicana turned to the Pleasantville-based gaming company AC Coin & Slot to recreate the Cuban atmosphere.Tropicana executives hope the slots parlor will lure back customers who had been scared off by embarrassing revelations of bedbugs, smelly rooms, overflowing toilets and surly employees during the casino's licensing hearing last year.Mark Giannantonio, Tropicana's president, acknowledged that "things were looking a little bleak" after Columbia Sussex was stripped of its license Dec. 12 by New Jersey gaming regulators and the casino was put up for sale.Tropicana, now under control of a state-appointed conservator who is overseeing the sale, began polishing its image in January by launching a $1 million multimedia promotional campaign featuring an "Experience the Difference" theme.Improvements have also been made to Tropicana's casino and hotel rooms. Coming next is the scheduled grand opening Wednesday of the Rumba Lounge, a bar in the middle of the casino floor that Giannantonio described as "elegant and sophisticated.""Every single day the Tropicana breathes new life," Giannantonio said of the casino's new upgrades during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday for Havana Rooftop Slots.Afterward in an interview, Giannantonio noted that the slots parlor is a centerpiece of efforts to strengthen Tropicana as it prepares to be bought by a new owner."From the get-go, I've set a goal of turning the property over to the new owner in the best shape that it could possibly be," Giannantonio said. "You do that by creating fun and excitement."Exactly when the new owner takes over is unclear. Confidential bids from would-be buyers are being reviewed by the conservator. Moreover, the sale can't be completed until a New Jersey appeals court rules on a lawsuit by Columbia Sussex affiliate Tropicana Entertainment challenging the loss of the gaming license.Ralph G. Frulio, one of the members of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission who voted to revoke Tropicana's license, praised the casino for progress it has made in the transition to new ownership."I'm very upbeat about it," Frulio said. "It's on the plus side."Maryann Gibilisco, a Tropicana slots player from Cherry Hill, said she never lost faith in the casino even after weeks of negative publicity that surrounded the licensing hearing."I never gave up on them because they've always treated me so well," Gibilisco said. "I thought I would hang in there with them."To e-mail Donald Wittkowski at The Press:DWittkowski@pressofac.com
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