Penthouse Boardwalk Hotel and Casino

Initial construction of the project began in 1978, but was halted in 1980 due to financing problems and gaming licensing difficulties.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement also was investigating the purchase of one of the properties (the Mayflower Hotel) from a member of the Philadelphia crime family.

[11] The casino was initially to be financed from box office receipts from Bob Guccione's epic porn movie Caligula.

Marjorie Lee Thoreson (a/k/a Anneka diLorenzo), the 1975 Penthouse Pet of the Year, won a $4,060,000 sexual harassment lawsuit against Penthouse and Guccione, claiming among other charges, that she was coerced into providing sexual favors to a furniture manufacturer from Milan who could provide financing for the casino venture.

[15] In 1987, Penthouse initially won a lawsuit for $136 million against Dominion Federal Savings & Loan, charging that the thrift backed out of a financing arrangement for the casino that had been agreed on.

[19] In 1997, Guccione announced that he was going to develop the Mayflower Hotel property (located between Tennessee Ave, St. James Pl and Boardwalk) into a casino, but nothing became of it.

[20] Guccione later tried to develop a resort in a joint venture with Ramada Inn at a location near the entrance to Atlantic City.