Showboat Casino Bowling Alley

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'Las Vegas' Some of the most famous hotels in the world, on the Strip. Duration: 24:58. Kevin Kilpatrick 202,540 views. It even had a bowling alley for folks who needed a break from the slot machines and table games. Kurt Williams of Seaville was a young boy when his family brought him to the Showboat soon after it.

Alley Bowling Center
Showboat Bowling Alley
Showboat Casino Bowling Alley Atlantic City
Bowling Alley Dimensions
Showboat Casino Bowling Alley Atlantic City

by Dave Williams

For anyone that is over the age of 40, the name Showboat conjures up the game of bowling, where thousands of Californian’s enjoyed their sweeper bowling event, from leagues that promoted a weekend in Las Vegas following a season of bowling enjoyment in their hometown.

The Showboat was also one of the most famous stops on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour, where many pro’s gave up the fight and decided to retire in the city known for high temperatures, low living expenses, and a fascination with bowlers.

As Bob Johnson (former editor of the California Bowling News, and now Senior Editor of Bowlers Journal International) looked back upon the Showboat in a recent article entitled “Ghosts of the Showboat” (Bowlers Journal International, December 2018), I could not help but reminisce about the years of enjoyment that I had working in bowling’s 21st century capital.

With the exception of Sam’s Town, all of the bowling centers that were in existence when I lived in Las Vegas are gone. One of the first to go was New College Park Bowl, where I worked for a year as a Manager Trainee, and later for a brief stint as Manager while AMF shuffled around management candidates before finally deciding upon Mike Monyak.

Mike was a part of AMF’s management development program and working at AMF Bowlero Lanes in Tacoma, Washington, when he got the call regarding a position in Las Vegas. His positive attitude and devotion to the game have rewarded him nicely, as he is now the manager of the 64 lane South Point Bowling Center on South Las Vegas Boulevard.

Other bowling centers that have closed since my departure from Las Vegas include Arizona Charlie’s (nee Charleston Heights Bowl), West Hill Lanes, the El Rancho Bowling Lanes, and even the Nellis 300 Lanes at Nellis Air Force Base.

Charleston Heights Bowl was a special place for “retired” professional bowlers. On my only day off from duties at New College Park Bowl, I participated in the Las Vegas All Stars League at Charleston Heights. It was like bowling in a PBA regional event with all of the ex-professionals that participated.

In my only full season in Las Vegas, I was fortunate to average 222 in the Las Vegas All Stars, and a blistering 226 at New College Park, the highest individual average recorded in the Southern Nevada Men’s Bowling Association for the 1978-79 season.

While 226 doesn’t seem like that unusual of an average today, in 1978 it was quite the exception. I have often said that I was a professional league bowler, because I just couldn’t handle the grueling 42 or 56 game qualifying schedules of the PBA on a weekly basis; but for a three game weekly stint, I was able to set association average records in almost every location that AMF positioned me for sales and marketing duties.

As I searched the internet for articles on the former bowling centers that have closed since my departure from Las Vegas, I could not help but notice that there are two primary owners of most bowling center properties in Las Vegas today – Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming.

It would appear that these two companies have capitalized on the attraction that bowling has for gamblers… something that Showboat founder Joe Kelley recognized when bowling was setting installation records across the country after the successful introduction of automated bowling machines in the late 1950’s.

The two aforementioned companies have made Las Vegas the bowling capital of the world in 2019. Among the approximate 700 bowling lanes in Las Vegas today, Station Casinos accounts for 282 lanes, and Boyd Gaming for 242 of the bowling drives.

Surprisingly, Station Casinos is the owner of the former Showboat property. According to an article that appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal (March 24, 2000), Harrahs Entertainment purchased Showboat Incorporated in 1998, and sold the Las Vegas property to VSS Enterprises in 2000.

Harrahs refused to sell the Showboat name, not wanting the VSS property to be confused with the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, or their own Harrahs Las Vegas on the Strip that resembled a showboat. As a result, VSS Enterprises renamed the Las Vegas Showboat, christening it the Castaways.

Photo provided by Frenchy Letourneau of International Bowling Media.

Another Las Vegas Review-Journal article (June 27, 2003) goes on to report that VSS could never make a go of the operation, and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003. That’s when Station Casinos stepped in and purchased the Castaways. Their primary interest was in the grandfathered gambling license, after determining that there were structural concerns with the building. Demolition of the facility began in July of 2005.

Could Bob Johnson’s “Ghosts of the Showboat” article prove to be clairvoyant, and the property come back to life as one of Station Casinos mega-bowling operations? For local residents, who truly loved this location away from the Strip and downtown Vegas, the idea is thought provoking and brings back fond memories of the original owners of the Showboat that brought so many innovative ideas to casino operations… including bowling!

Showboat Atlantic City
General information
Location	Atlantic City, New Jersey
Address	801 Boardwalk^[1]
Opening	March 30, 1987 (as casino/hotel) July 8, 2016 (as hotel only)
Renovated	2003, 2007, 2016
Closed	August 31, 2014 (as casino/hotel)
Owner	Bart Blatstein
Other information
Number of rooms	1,331^[2]
Website
showboathotelac.com
Theme	New Orleans, Mardi Gras
Total gaming space	127,978 sq ft (11,889.5 m²)^[2]
Casino type	Land-based

The Showboat Atlantic City is a hotel and former casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Showboat opened as a casino hotel in 1987 and closed in 2014; the hotel reopened in 2016. It is owned by developer Bart Blatstein.^[3]

History[edit]

On March 30, 1987, the Showboat Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center opened with a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m²) casino and a 60-lane bowling alley,^[4] The complex was built on land leased from Resorts International,^[5] just north of the under-construction Resorts Taj Mahal (which became the Trump Taj Mahal upon opening in 1990, now reopening as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City). The grand opening ceremony featured Bob Hope and Al Hirt.^[4]

The Showboat opened the city's first racebook in 1993, following the legalization in 1990 of casino simulcast wagering.^[6]

Steelman Partners completed a major renovation in 1995, creating a Mardi Gras theme.

In 1998, the property's parent company, Showboat, Inc., was purchased by Harrah's Entertainment, later known as Caesars Entertainment.

With the popularity of bowling on the decline, the bowling alley was closed in 2001, and the space was used for a new buffet and a coffee shop.^[7]

In May 2003, the Showboat added a 544-room, $90 million hotel tower called the Orleans Tower. In 2007, the hotel remodeled its original tower, the Bourbon Tower.

In the past decade, many improvements were made to the establishment, including a new hotel tower and a House of Blues on the boardwalk, along with a complete renovation of the boardwalk facade.

In June 2014, Caesars Entertainment announced the planned closure of the Showboat, even though the property was profitable. The move was made in an effort to stabilize Caesars's other Atlantic City casinos.^[8]^[9] After a buyer could not be found, the Showboat closed on August 31, 2014, at 4:00 p.m. It employed 2,100 people, but 470 of them were immediately hired at other Caesars casinos.^[10] The shutdown came amid a wave of closures of Atlantic City properties, with four of the city's casinos closing in 2014.

On December 13, 2014, Richard Stockton College (later Stockton University) purchased the Showboat for $18 million, with plans to develop a full-service residential campus awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees and other professional training programs.^[11]^[12] The plan was derailed by legal issues, and Stockton sold the property to Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein for $23 million in January 2016.^[3]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

Blatstein announced in June 2016 that the Showboat would reopen the following month as a non-gaming hotel.^[18] The 'new' Showboat Atlantic City Hotel opened July 8, accepting reservations and welcoming guests. The new hotel features only one restaurant, bar and coffee shop. The former casino space and House of Blues areas are currently closed indefinitely and decorated with images of Atlantic City.

In February 2018, Blatstein took a preliminary step toward applying for a casino license for the property. Blatstein said 'There is over a billion dollars worth of investment in that part of the town that should not be ignored,' referring to the reopening of two shuttered casinos next to the Showboat, the Ocean Resort Casino and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. In early 2019, Bart Blatstein was approved to apply for a casino license. Blatstein has plans to build a new casino in the lot in between Showboat and Ocean Casino Resort. Due to a deed restriction placed on Showboat by Caesars Entertainment, the building may not be used as a casino, so building a new building is a way around it. The new casino is expected to break ground in 2020.^[19] Later that year, Blatstein announced plans to convert 264 of the Showboat's hotel rooms into apartments.^[20]

Dining[edit]

Current Restaurants

Worship Surf Bar
Canal Street Coffee Shop
12 Bar
Bricker's Burgers & More ^[21]
Atlantic City Eatery

Former Restaurants

Atlantic City Eatery
Casa di Napoli
Crossroads
Foundation Room Dining
French Quarter Buffet
Royal Noodle House
Scarduzio's Steak - Sushi - Lounge
Sundeck Coffee Shop
Starbucks Coffee
Worship Surf Bar

Amenities[edit]

Showboat Gaming Floor

Alley Bowling Center

Showboat has a 3,500 sq.ft. spa, a fitness center, a pool and two gift shops. Prior to the addition to the House of Blues, shows were performed in two venues, either the Mardi Gras Showroom or Mississippi Pavilion. Bob Hope was the first headliner at the resort. Other headliners included Phyllis Diller, Charo, The Judds, Ray Charles, The Spinners, Jack Jones, Alan King and Willie Nelson. Smaller Las Vegas-style revue shows were also sporadically booked in the Mardi Gras Showroom. The opening of The House of Blues in 2005 saw the entertainment bookings ranging from Cyndi LauperElvis Costello to the White Stripes to Erykah Badu. Boxing matches are held at the casino.^[22]

Upon the reopening of the Showboat, the hotel rebranded the former House of Blues as the Bourbon Room^[23] which hosts concerts and other events. The hotel also introduced a video arcade called Starcade^[24] and a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course sponsored by Glow Golf^[25] However, both the Starcade and Glow Golf establishments have closed.

Showboat Bowling Alley