We’re still interested in buying land casino, says Pokerstars parent

The British parent company of PokerStars says it still wants to buy an Atlantic City casino, even though a deal to obtain Atlantic Club fell through “time expired” on Wednesday.

A company spokesman for The Rational Group told the Associated Press news agency late Thursday that the company wants to salvage its deal to purchase The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel.

Eric Hollreiser, a spokesman for the Isle Of Man-based company, said Rational had expected the closing deadline for the sale to be extended.

“Several days ago the Rational Group received a purported notice of termination of this agreement from the current owners of the Atlantic Club,” he said in a statement to Associated Press.

“It was the Rational Group’s expectation and understanding, based on the ongoing dealings between the parties, that the closing date would be extended to allow the transaction to be completed. The Rational Group remains entirely committed to resolving this situation and to our investment in New Jersey.”

Michael Frawley, the chief operating officer for financially troubled Atlantic Club, did not respond to messages seeking comment Thursday night.

The casino is owned by Los Angeles-based Colony Capital, which reached a deal with The Rational Group last December to sell The Atlantic Club.

New Jersey casino regulators have been examining the Rational Group’s application to buy a casino, but no decision was imminent.

The land casino trade body, the American Gaming Association has attempted to intervene in the licensing process in order to derail the deal, and suspicions have been voiced that land casino companies may also be working behind the scenes to keep Rational out of the US market, fearing competition in the online environment.

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