House of Blues Heads to Atlantic City

If the late Blues Brother Joliet Jake were still around would he have been surprised to see where it has all gone. After John Belushi’s death, the remaining Blues Brother, Dan Aykroyd, a.k.a. Brother Elwood took Blues to a whole new level creating House of Blues night clubs across the states. Based out of Los Angeles, the company House of Blues Entertainment, co-founded by Aykroyd, currently own nine House of Blues night clubs. One of these famous night clubs is linked to the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas. The increased popularity of these House of Blues night clubs created an interest to bring House of Blues to Atlantic City in what appears to be a very lucky partnership with the Showboat Casino-Hotel.

Feeling like a newly wed to Lady Luck, brother Elwood networked all around Atlantic City’s finest. Casino executives, politicians, everyone is waiting in suspense to see if the promise is true. Can Atlantic City become a world destination?

No longer working as an active Blues Brother, the 52 yr old actor, Dan Aykroyd now acts as the front man for the new House of Blues night club soon to be opening in Atlantic City. There are monster plans for this incredibly clever partnership between Showboat and the club. The Showboat Casino Hotel revealed their plans to add a $65 million multi-faceted House of Blues night club to their Casino Hotel. The project will include a huge theater with a seating capacity of over 2000 people for live shows; a Blues restaurant; a poker room holding forty-five tables; special House of Blues slot machines and an additional wing of fifty new hotel suites. The construction of this monster deal has begun two months ago and is hoped to be finished and enjoying its Grand Opening by this Independence Day.

So what does each party get out of the partnership besides more business? Since House of Blues is estimated to bring new younger customers to the scene and will be offering 200 live shows a year, it goes without saying that the Showboat Casino Hotel is going to favor immensely from the new addition because it competes with its other small time gambling locations out of state. Although customers will also be going to the night club, House of Blues Entertainment has arranged with Showboat that in exchange for their generous investment in the casino, not to mention the draw of new customers; House of Blues should be able to share in the profits made by the casino. This is an agreement that both parties seem to be in accordance with and are simply waiting on a response from the New Jersey Legislature to finalize the deal. It appears that before profits can be shared with Showboat’s new investors, a bill must be passed amending a former bill stating that profit sharing is not allowed to outside investors. The new bill will allow investors who have put over $30 million into shares be allowed to share in up to 5% of the overall profits of the casino. The new bill was already passed in the Assembly and is now awaiting the Senate approval. The good thing is that the new profit sharing plan will in no way affect tax revenues required by law from the Showboat, according to officials.

When asked about their decision to share their profits, the senior vice president of Atlantic City operations for Harrah’s Entertainment Inc, which happens to own Showboat, answered this, "They should share in the profits," said Dave Jonas. "We are partners in every sense of the word." If the bill amendment succeeds, Showboat will be the first casino to share in its profits with an outside party.