Playboy Hotel and Casino

Trump World's Fair
As the Atlantis Hotel and Casino, to the left of Boardwalk Hall
Address	Florida Avenue & Boardwalk Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401
Opening date	April 14, 1981
Closing date	October 3, 1999
Theme	New York City and World's fair
Number of rooms	500
Casino type	Land-based
Owner	Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts
Previous names	Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Trump Regency
Renovated in	1996

Florida Avenue & Boardwalk

Trump World's Fair at Trump Plaza was a hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey that occupied 280 feet of the Atlantic City boardwalk and was 21 floors in height. It had 500 guest rooms. It opened on April 14, 1981 as the Playboy Hotel and Casino, then changed its name in 1984 to Atlantis Hotel and Casino.

The hotel/casino project was initiated by Playboy Enterprises, which later took on Elsinore Corporation (owner of the Four Queens Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas) as a partner in order to obtain financing. The hotel/casino originally opened with a provisional gaming license, but the licensing process was slow due to questions about the suitability of both partners. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission finally granted a permanent gaming license to Elsinore Corporation, but not to Playboy Enterprises (due to concerns about the company's London casino operations, as well as payments made by the company to New York officials in the early 1960s in order to get a liquor license for its New York Playboy Club). Playboy agreed to sell its share of the hotel/casino to Elsinore and the property's name was changed.

The complex was split into two sections divided by Florida Avenue. The main building housed the multi-level casino, 500-room hotel tower and restaurants. The other building, accessible by a skybridge from the second floor, housed the 800-seat Cabaret and shops. The Cabaret featured acts such as Bobby Vinton, David Copperfield, Vic Damone, Lola Falana and The Captain & Tennille. The 5th Dimension was the last act to perform in the Cabaret, finishing out its engagement after gaming operations had ceased on the casino floor.

In 1985, the casino filed for bankruptcy and then continued to struggle financially. In April 1989, the state rejected renewal of its gaming license, and then placed the Atlantis into conservatorship. The casino closed on May 22, 1989, though the hotel continued to operate.Donald Trump purchased the Atlantis in June 1989 for $63 million, and renamed it as the Trump Regency.