Revel buyer wants to build world’s biggest water park, run ferry from NYC

Revel Casino Hotel as seen from the boardwalk in Atlantic City on Sept. 10, 2014. (Photo: Farragutful via Wikimedia Commons)
The Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City will look radically different if a developer’s plans come to fruition.
Florida developer Glenn Straub, who prevailed on a bid to purchase the beleaguered property out of bankruptcy for $95.4 million, is seeking to build a water park on the property, run high-speed ferries from Manhattan to Atlantic City, and sell the naming rights to the casino, The Press of Atlantic City reports.
At a cost of $108 million, he envisions building the world’s biggest water park, spanning both the interior and exterior of the building, according to the newspaper.
Straub told reporters his plans during a break at a court hearing Thursday approving the sale.
He had previously discussed opening a university for “geniuses” on the property.
The $2.4 billion Revel Casino Hotel opened in April 2012 and closed in September 2014, becoming the third Atlantic City casino to shutter in 2014. It never turned a profit.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.