Seminole Tribe finalizes purchase of failed Trump casino in New Jersey

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Artist's rendering of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in New Jersey. Image: Hard Rock International

It's official: a Hard Rock casino is coming to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Hard Rock International, which is owned by the Seminole Tribe, and its partners completed the acquisition of the former Trump Taj Mahal. The group will spend $375 million to revamp the 17-acre waterfront property and reopen it as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in the summer of 2018.

"From world-renowned music events to innovative dining concepts, we're excited to bring the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino experience to the Atlantic City boardwalk – which has been home to our Hard Rock Cafe for more than 20 years," Jim Allen, the chairman of Hard Rock International, said in a press release. "Our commitment to Atlantic City has never been stronger and we look forward to being a catalyst for further growth and development of the area."

The casino will feature 2,400 slots and 130 table games, according to the press release. The existing Hard Rock Cafe in Atlantic City will be moving to the facility, which will include two separate performance spaces offering more than 7,000 seats total.

In his prior career as a casino mogul, Donald Trump opened the Taj Mahal in 1990 and starting lashing out at tribes, who were his primary competition. He accused them of being unable to protect their casinos from crime and other problems but it was his operation that ran into financial and regulatory trouble in Atlantic City.

Trump's company eventually declared bankruptcy and the Taj Mahal was transferred to a new owner. It closed in October 2016.

The Seminoles were one of the early pioneers in the Indian gaming industry and have grown their business into a multi-billion dollar global enterprise. The tribe bought the Hard Rock corporation for nearly $1 billion in December 2007.