How long ago?

[From Wikipedia]

On December 13, 2014, Richard Stockton College (later Stockton University) purchased the Showboat for $18 million, with plans to develop a full-service residential campus awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees and other professional training programs.[11][12] The plan was derailed by legal issues, and Stockton sold the property to Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein for $23 million in January 2016.

Blatstein announced in June 2016 that the Showboat would reopen the following month as a non-gaming hotel. The "new" Showboat Atlantic City Hotel opened July 8, accepting reservations and welcoming guests. The new hotel features only one restaurant, bar and coffee shop. The former casino space and House of Blues areas were closed off and decorated with images of Atlantic City on makeshift walls. The casino floor space was subsequently used for various conventions and events.

In February 2018, Blatstein took a preliminary step toward applying for a casino license for the property. Blatstein said "There is over a billion dollars worth of investment in that part of the town that should not be ignored," referring to the reopening of two shuttered casinos next to the Showboat, the Ocean Resort Casino and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Later that year, Blatstein also announced plans to convert 264 of the Showboat's hotel rooms into apartments. In early 2019, Bart Blatstein was approved to apply for a casino license. Blatstein planned to build a new casino in the lot in between Showboat and Ocean Casino Resort. Due to a deed restriction placed on Showboat by Caesars Entertainment, the building may not be used as a casino, so building a new building was a way around it. The new casino was expected to break ground in 2020. However, in December 2020, the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved Blatstein's request for financial assistance to turn the space originally intended for a casino into a $100 million indoor water park. Blatstein also sought to have the park designated as an entertainment retail district project, allowing the park to qualify for up to $2.5 million in annual sales tax breaks for 20 years.

In May 2021, Showboat opened the Lucky Snake Arcade and Sports Bar took over most of the empty casino floor space, giving Showboat a permanent non-casino attraction. It is New Jersey's largest arcade with over 100 games and attractions such as video games, bowling, skee-ball and other games. The area also features a sports bar with large screens and a full-size boxing ring.