Behind Closed Doors: The Forgotten Stories Of Abandoned Casinos
As a fast-rising gambling and entertainment enterprise, the casino industry is constantly on the trend. And with trendy markets comes lots of innovation, competition, and fresh establishments. These factors have over the years put a large gap between struggling, thriving, and abandoned casino establishments.
To this day, there are still a couple of dysfunctional casino establishments in existence with a rich history and forgotten stories. To that end, we are out to uncover some of the most juicy stories behind some of the most pronounced closed-door casinos.
The Rise and Fall
Since the invention of controlled gambling environments in the 1600s, the casino industry has been on a more or less upward trend. This spread only got wider with the 1980s boom and the introduction of online casinos, late in the 1900s. Today, the availability of well-optimized devices and a stable internet has produced some pretty impressive online casinos. Altogether these feats have fueled the casino industry to another height.
On the reverse, some establishments that have either failed to keep up with trends, are poorly managed and funded have ended up as part of history. Going forward we’ll explore some principal real-life examples.
Real-Life Examples
The Big-Easy Riverboat Casino
The unfortunate tale of the Big Easy is a good example of an abandoned casino story. The 238-foot New Orleans-themed ship, which was due for a $12 million facelift in 2004, finally left dry dock in 2005, However, the ship would be delayed by multiple hurricane problems and was forced to vacate by 2006.
After filing for bankruptcy twice, the Big Easy was ordered to vacate the Port of Palm Beach and subsequently moved to a dry dock in 2010. As of 2012, the on ship casino was demolished and sold in parts, to cover its renovation costs.
Asbury Park Casino
The original Asbury Park casino was built in 1904, in place of the Bradley Pavilion structure. Unfortunately, this structure perished in a fire at the start of 1928. And after getting reconstructed in 1929, the building would later suffer a couple of hazards leaving the entire building vacant by 2001. The casino edifice was subsequently torn down in 2006.
Key Largo Casino and Hotel
The Las Vegas resort was closed in 2005, reportedly to make way for a fresh high-rise building. But after the project failed, Key Largo sat vacant for years and was partially destroyed in a fire in 2013, before getting demolished.
Jubilation Riverboat Casino
After opening in 1995, the Jubilation Riverboat was closed down just seven months later, under pressure from the Mississippi Gaming Commission. The closure was reportedly due to the establishment’s inability to pay for casino table games and slots.
The Haunting Atmosphere
Abandoned Casino houses have an unusually disturbing atmosphere, especially since they were once very active. This could be a result of the nostalgia associated with such vicinities. Also, abandonment not only impacts people psychologically but also does the buildings, structurally.
In other words, these unattended casinos only get worse structurally as much time passes, which only goes to creating a more mysterious atmosphere for these places.
Online Casinos; A Modern Twist
Unaffected by physical and structural hazards is the world of online casinos, which has apparently come to stay. These casinos are operationally based on the internet, via websites, where players can access real money gambling services. Prime examples include Ontario casino providers you can find on https://casinorix.com/ca/ontario/.
As such, there’s no tendency for digital casinos to suffer fates like abandonment as they’re not built off physical structures.
Conclusion
In summary, a couple of the formerly celebrated land-based casinos are currently just a shadow of their once glorious selves. These cases of abandonment are mostly a result of poor handling, natural disasters, and other factors we’ve mentioned so far.
Over time, due to inactivity, these once booming gambling hubs have become physically desolate, with traces of nostalgia all over the place. And although forgotten, we’ve taken the liberty to unearth some of the most interesting closed-door casino casinos so far, as promised. Overall, obsolete and phased-out establishments are no new thing to rapidly growing industries like casino gambling. Nevertheless, obsolete as they may be, these abandonment cases still make for excellent tales.