There were three news stories out of Atlantic City, New Jersey recently that deal with the expansion of the seaside gambling resort city on the East Coast.

MGM Mirage Inc. said Wednesday it will spend up to $5 billion to build a massive casino resort with three towers that will dominate the Atlantic City skyline. The 3,000-room resort, planned to open in 2012 and will be built on the 72 acre site next to the Borgata Hotel and Casino. The Borgata is a joint venture between MGM and Boyd Gaming. That casino is the subject of the second news story from Atlantic City.

A fire last month burned the outside of the new 800 room tower under construction at the Borgata. The damage is expected to delay the opening of the tower for several months. The new opening date will be sometime in the summer of 2008.

On the boardwalk, the implosion of the old Sands Casino will take pace at 9:30 pm on October 18th. Pinnacle Entertainment will replace the Sands with a new casino tentatively scheduled to open in 2011 or 2012. The complex is expected to include about 2,000 hotel rooms and 500,000 square feet of space for retail stores and restaurants in a mall-like setting. There will be another 250,000 to 4