Revel, Atlantic City’s newest casino, opens

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The first customer through the door at Atlantic City’s newest casino wasted little time in winning big.

Jerry Colonna of Mount Laurel, N.J., headed for a roulette table after Revel opened at 7 a.m., Monday. He bought $400 worth of chips and won $1,500 within 10 minutes.

Colonna says he wanted to play before heading to work.

Executives of the city’s 12th casino toasted the opening with blueberry smoothies on a deck facing the ocean.

The $2.4 billion resort is being counted on to help revive the sagging fortunes of the nation’s second-largest gambling market.

Revel had to overcome numerous obstacles in order to reach Monday’s opening. Three key executives working on the project died in a plane crash in 2008, the project ran out of money during the recession, and it only got completed with the help of state tax incentives.

It is Atlantic City’s only non-smoking casino resort and the only one to fully embrace the ocean, with floor-to-ceiling views of the coast that are considered a no-no in other gambling halls.