It's not very surprising that the other applicants for a mini casino in Atlantic City have dropped out and the only remaining mini casino project planned is the Hard Rock Casino.
A
new program allows the state Casino Control Commission to issue
licenses for two smaller-scale Boardwalk casinos that may have as few as
200 hotel rooms. Since only one application was received by Friday’s
deadline, the commission is free to solicit new expressions of interest
at a later date for the second project.
So, the
deadline has passed for the first phase of building a mini casino
project, but the Casino Control Commission can now take applications for
a next phase? I can't imagine anyone wanting to spend money to test the
waters of a new Atlantic City hotel and/or casino until the market
turns around. If someone is feeling positive there are existing casinos
that will likely be on the market (See ACH aka Atlantic City Hilton) and probably cost less to redevelop.
Great reference on the bad economics of building a mini casino on Die Is Cast.