As an epilogue to what was one of the most talked-about poker news stories of 2013, the Head of Corporate Communications for PokerStars, Eric Hollreiser, has issued a final comment regarding the activities that surrounded the Atlantic Club on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

For those who may have forgotten, in early 2013, PokerStars was set to purchase the Atlantic Club, by far one of the worst performers in Atlantic City. That deal depended on PokerStars getting a casino operators’ license in New Jersey, a process that dragged through the early months of last year. In April, the deal for the purchase of the Atlantic Club by PokerStars officially died.

By the end of 2013, the news went from bad to worse for the Atlantic Club. In December, the Atlantic Club officially filed for bankruptcy and was immediately cannibalized by two of its competitors in the bankruptcy sale. Caesars Entertainment will get the hotel’s property, while Tropicana will take its slots and table games. As of January 13, the Atlantic Club will close its doors as a casino in Atlantic City.

All of this might have been different had PokerStars been able to proceed with its purchase last year, Hollreiser philosophized: “We’re saddened by the news that the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel will be closed in the coming weeks. At this time last year, PokerStars reached an agreement that would [have] secured a new future for the casino, saved the jobs of 1,800 employees, and injected new blood, new technologies, and new finances into the Atlantic City economy.”

Hollreiser blamed the then-owners of the Atlantic Club for taking the risk in dumping PokerStars as a suitor, stating that they “gambled with their employees’ future,” while also casting some barbs at the Garden State gaming commissions that have, to this point, prevented their entry into the New Jersey online gaming market: “Unfortunately, PokerStars is no longer in a position to help the Atlantic Club… The continued delays in our regulatory review prevent us from bringing the marketing and operational investment we have planned for the past year.”

PokerStars, after flirtation and subsequent spurning by the Atlantic Club, joined forces with Resorts International in New Jersey for the now-legal online gaming industry that started in November. While others were licensed and prepped for the November opening, PokerStars’ review was suspended for two yearsdue to the ongoing Black Friday indictment against company founder Isai Scheinberg and payment processing head Paul Tate.

Scheinberg and Tate have yet to address their criminal charges and, as such, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has refused to issue a license to the company without “significant changes” to its management.

After a tumultuous year trying to reenter the U.S. online gaming scene, “PokerStars will continue to pursue our goals and remain confident that we will have a strong presence and positive impact in the American market in 2014,” Hollreiser wrote, warning, “whether that is New Jersey or another state seeking the benefits of being home to a world-class online gaming company.”

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