{{Short description|American hotel and casino company (1958–1996)}} {{for|the company that operated from 2000 to 2014|Resorts International Holdings}}
'''Resorts International''' was a hotel and casino company. From its origins as a paint company, it moved into the resort business in the 1960s with the development of Paradise Island in the Bahamas, and then expanded to Atlantic City, New Jersey with the opening of Resorts Casino Hotel in 1978. After the death of its longtime chairman, James Crosby, in 1986, the company was briefly controlled by Donald Trump, before being acquired by Merv Griffin in 1988. It was acquired by Sun International in 1996.
==History== ===Development in Bahamas and Atlantic City (1958–1986)=== In 1958, the '''Mary Carter Paint Company''', a New Jersey paint manufacturer, was acquired by a group of investors.<ref name=janson>{{cite news|title=Bahamas gambling interest is pressing Las Vegas-type casinos in Atlantic City|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Donald Janson|date=August 15, 1976|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/15/archives/bahamas-gambling-interest-is-pressing-las-vegastype-casinos-in.html?_r=0|accessdate=2017-01-01}}</ref> The Mary Carter Paint Company, was widely considered to be a CIA front organization that laundered payments to the Cuban exile army.<ref>Sally Denton and Roger Morris: ''The Money and the Power: the Making of Las Vegas and its Hold on America, 1947-2000''. Alfred A. Knopf. P. 284</ref> James Crosby, son of one of the investors, was appointed to lead the company.<ref name=cook>{{cite news|title=James M. Crosby, 58, founder of hotel and casino concern|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Joan Cook|date=April 12, 1986|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/12/obituaries/james-m-crosby-58-founder-of-hotel-and-casino-concern.html|accessdate=2017-01-01}}</ref>
With its paint business on the decline, Mary Carter sought to diversify into the land development business.<ref name=block>{{cite book|title=Masters of Paradise: Organized Crime and the Internal Revenue Service in the Bahamas|author=Alan A. Block|publisher=Transaction Publishers|year=1998|pages=67–68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=trFcGY20LX8C&pg=PA67|isbn=9781412828192}}</ref> It acquired 1,200 acres of land near Freeport, Bahamas in 1962, followed by a 75 percent interest in Paradise Island in 1966.<ref name=block /> The company built a bridge to the island and developed it with hotels and restaurants, and opened the Paradise Island Casino there in 1967.<ref name=owens>{{cite news|title=Resorts gambles on future|newspaper=Miami Herald|author=Dory Owens|date=February 16, 1986|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB3647497A05791&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> In 1968, Mary Carter sold its paint division and changed its name to Resorts International.<ref name=janson /><ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts to change name, reduce stock shares|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Daniel Heneghan|date=April 28, 1995|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEAB74EDDD7C15&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
Other ventures that the company undertook were short-lived, including ownership of the Biff Burger fast food chain from 1962 to 1976,<ref>{{cite news|title=Mary Carter acquires restaurant chain|newspaper=Matawan Journal|date=October 18, 1962|page=11|url=http://www.digifind-it.com/matawan/journal/1962/1962-10-18.pdf|accessdate=2017-01-08}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=swartz>{{cite news|title=Resorts International often baffles its rivals in gambling business|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|author=Steve Swartz|date=November 14, 1985|id={{ProQuest|397919724}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref> an investment in an experimental shrimp farm in Mexico in the early 1970s,<ref name=swartz /><ref>{{cite news|title=Shrimp farming plan advances|newspaper=Washington Post|author=Chris Collins|date=July 17, 1977|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1977/07/17/shrimp-farming-plan-advances/4397840d-5f0e-4aba-91a7-0a74870c87dc/|accessdate=2017-01-08}}</ref> ownership of the Marine World/Africa USA theme park in California from 1972 to 1979,<ref>{{cite news|title=The animals are moving two by two|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|author=Sylvia Rubin|date=September 30, 1985|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB4ED489149BF80&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> and an aborted deal to purchase half of slot machine maker Williams Electronics in 1978.<ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts drops plan to buy slot machine firm|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|date=December 22, 1978|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/225620887/}} {{subscription required|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Crosby led Resorts on several forays into the airline industry over the years.<ref name=hicks>{{cite news|title=What Resorts sees in Pan Am|newspaper=New York Times|author=Jonathan P. Hicks|date=August 19, 1985|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/19/business/what-resorts-sees-in-pan-am.html|accessdate=2017-01-08}}</ref> The company made efforts towards acquiring Pan American World Airways in 1969, but backed down after Congress intervened to make such a takeover more difficult.<ref>{{cite web|title=Airlines Acquisition|website=CQ Almanac 1969|publisher=CQ Press|url=https://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/document.php?id=cqal69-1247959|accessdate=2017-01-08}}</ref> Resorts purchased Chalk's International Airlines, a small airline offering seaplane service between Florida and the Bahamas, in 1974;<ref>{{cite news|title=Chalk's Airlines on block|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=November 26, 1989|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/11/26/chalks-airlines-on-block/|access-date=2017-01-08}}</ref> the company would operate the airline until selling it in 1991.<ref>{{cite news|title=From flying lessons to the wild blue yonder|newspaper=Tampa Tribune|date=August 22, 1993|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB0F2BC2207437D&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
[[Image:Resorts Atlantic City - Hotel Towers.jpg|thumb|Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, as seen in 2009]] Resorts executives traveled the world looking for potential casino sites.<ref name=janson /> Finally, Resorts took an interest in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the lead-up to a 1976 voter referendum to allow casino gambling there.<ref name=owens /> The company purchased large tracts of land in the city, including the historic Chalfonte-Haddon Hall.<ref name=owens /> When the referendum passed, Resorts was prepared to quickly renovate the hotel, opening it in 1978 as the city's first casino, Resorts International Casino Hotel.<ref name=cook /><ref name=owens /> The property was an immediate success, and the company saw its revenue increase from $59 million in 1977 to $407 million in 1979.<ref name=owens />
Resorts expanded its footprint in the Bahamas to a second casino in 1978, assuming management of El Casino in Freeport.<ref>{{cite report|title=In the matter of the application of Resorts International Hotel, Inc. for a casino license|publisher=New Jersey Office of Administrative Law|page=262|url=http://njlegallib.rutgers.edu/njar/v10/p0244.pdf|accessdate=2017-01-15}}</ref><ref name=thompson>{{cite book|title=Gambling in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Issues, and Society|author=William Norman Thompson|year=2001|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=[https://archive.org/details/gamblinginameric0000thom_l2c0/page/16 16]|url=https://archive.org/details/gamblinginameric0000thom_l2c0|url-access=registration|isbn=9781576071595}}</ref> It sold the casino in 1983.<ref name=thompson />
The company in 1983 began construction of the Taj Mahal casino, adjacent to the Resorts International casino, with an estimated budget of $250 million.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ground broken for Resorts' 2d N.J. casino-hotel|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|date=October 27, 1983|author=Anne McGrath|agency=AP|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB29664095DAB70&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Trump, man of glitz, is forced to cut back at Taj Mahal casino|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|author=Richard Koenig|date=April 19, 1988|id={{ProQuest|398124046}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
The Resorts Casino Hotel had seen declining profits after 1979, as it faced competition from newly opened Atlantic City casinos, and a general slump in the casino industry.<ref name=owens /><ref name=hicks /> The need to diversify was again apparent.<ref name=owens /> The company offered to purchase Trans World Airlines in 1985, but was rejected.<ref>{{cite news|title=Casino-hotel operator Resorts International makes offer for TWA|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|author=Robert E. Dallos|date=June 8, 1985|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-08-fi-7356-story.html|access-date=2017-01-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Trans World Airlines Inc. has agreed in principle to...|newspaper=UPI|date=June 13, 1985|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/06/13/Trans-World-Airlines-Inc-has-agreed-in-principle-to/8309487483200/|accessdate=2017-01-08}}</ref> Resorts then returned its focus to Pan Am, buying an 11 percent stake in the airline.<ref name=swartz /> By early 1986, Resorts was reported to be exploring expansion options in West Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana, where it was participating in lobbying efforts to legalize gambling, and searching for potential casino sites.<ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts helps write W. Va. bill|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|author=Fen Montaigne|date=January 22, 1986|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB29A5A6002D3BA&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts won't buy Sunny Isles Sheraton|newspaper=Miami Herald|author=David Lyons|date=April 12, 1986|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB364CF11A90F45&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=3-casino plan OK'd by panel|newspaper=The Advocate|location=Baton Rouge, LA|author=John Laplante|date=May 22, 1986|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB473E0903DDA0A&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
===Post-Crosby and Donald Trump era (1986–1988)=== {{multiple image |total_width=250 |image1=Merv Griffin.jpg |width1=674 |height1=870 |image2=Trump 1987.jpg |width2=356 |height2=507 |footer=Merv Griffin (left) and Donald Trump (right) battled for control of the company in 1988 }} Crosby died unexpectedly in April 1986, and Resorts International became a takeover target.<ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts International receives takeover offer to rival Trump's|newspaper=Sun-Sentinel|location=Fort Lauderdale, Florida|date=March 25, 1987|id={{ProQuest|389592810}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref> The Taj Mahal had encountered construction problems, and Crosby's heirs, lacking experience in large development projects, doubted their ability to complete it successfully.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump buys 73% stake in Resorts for $79 million|newspaper=New York Times|date=March 10, 1987|author=John Crudele|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/10/business/trump-buys-73-stake-in-resorts-for-79-million.html|accessdate=2016-03-13}}</ref> then-Real estate developer Donald Trump, who owned two Atlantic City casinos, beat out several other bidders to purchase a controlling stake in the company from Crosby's family for $79 million in July 1987.<ref name=venezia>{{cite news|title=Trump completes the deal for Resorts International|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|author=Joyce A. Venezia|agency=AP|date=July 22, 1987|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB29D0F2B2C52E2&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> Trump was appointed chairman of Resorts International, and said he would complete the Taj Mahal in about a year.<ref name=venezia />
As the Taj Mahal's budget had ballooned to $930 million, Resorts struggled to find the financing to complete it.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump offers to buy rest of Resorts' common stock|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|agency=Reuters|date=December 22, 1987|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-22-fi-30574-story.html|access-date=2016-03-13}}</ref> With the company claiming to be near bankruptcy in early 1988, Trump made a tender offer to buy all outstanding stock for $22 a share, stating that he was willing to personally finance the construction, but only if he owned the entire company.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump renews his push to take Resorts private|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|author=Frank Allen|date=February 2, 1988|id={{ProQuest|398147631}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Television producer Merv Griffin made an unexpected offer to purchase the company for $35 a share,<ref>{{cite news|title=Griffin takes on Trump for Resorts shares|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|author=Al Delugach|date=March 18, 1988|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-18-fi-1647-story.html|access-date=2016-03-13}}</ref> sparking a highly publicized takeover battle,<ref>{{cite news|title=Takeover battle ends for Trump, Griffin|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=April 15, 1988|agency=AP|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1988/04/15/page/37/article/takeover-battle-ends-for-trump-griffin|accessdate=2016-03-13}}</ref> with Trump and Griffin filing lawsuits against each other.<ref>{{cite news|title=Merv Griffin sues to block Trump offer for Resorts, says he may boost his own|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|author1=Eileen White Read|author2=Richard Koenig|date=March 22, 1988|id={{ProQuest|398029238}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref> The two ultimately reached a settlement, which was executed in November 1988, with Griffin purchasing the company for $365 million, and Trump purchasing the Taj Mahal from the company for $273 million.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump completes the sale of Resorts to Merv Griffin|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|author=Beatrice E. Garcia|date=November 16, 1988|id={{ProQuest|398072552}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name=furlong>{{cite news|title=Merv rolls the dice|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|author=Tom Furlong|date=September 18, 1989|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-18-fi-203-story.html|access-date=2017-01-02}}</ref>
===Merv Griffin era (1988–1996)=== Griffin's purchase was financed with high-interest junk bonds sold by Michael Milken.<ref name=furlong /> Less than a year after Griffin's takeover, Resorts began defaulting on interest payments to bondholders, due to the company's high debt load and inability to sell undeveloped real estate assets.<ref>{{cite news|title=Is Resorts going bankrupt? $1B in debt, Griffin defaults|newspaper=The Record|location=Hackensack, NJ|author=Mitchell Pacelle|date=August 29, 1989|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB275CDE1455A33&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> In 1989, Resorts entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.<ref name=taylor>{{cite news|title=Resorts parent file for bankruptcy with eye on swift approval of plan|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|location=Newark, NJ|author=Iris Taylor|date=December 23, 1989|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1223DB8F52FE7510&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> Under a prepackaged bankruptcy plan, bondholders received 78 percent of the company's stock, in exchange for canceling $496 million in debt.<ref name=taylor /><ref name=heneghan>{{cite news|title=Resorts emerges from Chapter 11|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Daniel Heneghan|date=September 18, 1990|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEA897D09AF661&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> As part of the deal, Griffin also invested $25 million in cash, the company again became publicly traded, and the Paradise Island property was put up for sale.<ref name=heneghan /><ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts gets approval to go public in reorganization plan|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|author=Peter Cooney|agency=Reuters|date=August 18, 1990|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB2A0C052F7E914&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
Proceeds from the Paradise Island sale, expected to top $250 million, would have allowed Resorts to reduce its debt load to a level that could be serviced by cash flow from the Atlantic City property.<ref name=heneghan19940322>{{cite news|title=Resorts parent files prepackaged bankruptcy|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Daniel Heneghan|date=March 22, 1994|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEAAC1B5567947&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> However, no serious offer over $150 million was received, leading the company to file Chapter 11 again in 1994.<ref name=heneghan19940322 /><ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts submits refinance plans|work=The Press of Atlantic City|date=October 28, 1993|author=Daniel Heneghan|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-of-atlantic-city-resorts-submits-r/196796934/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The prepackaged bankruptcy plan reduced the company's debt by $289 million, and in exchange gave bondholders 40 percent of the reorganized company, plus proceeds from the sale of Paradise Island to South African Sol Kerzner's hotel firm Sun International.<ref>{{cite news|title=Regulators approve plan for Resorts restructuring|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Daniel Heneghan|date=April 28, 1994|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEAAD3E515CDB9&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Resorts reorganizes|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|location=Newark, NJ|date=May 4, 1994|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1224877C6EEA4CB8&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
The company changed its name to '''Griffin Gaming & Entertainment''' in 1995.<ref name=dowling>{{cite news|title=Resorts changes name to Griffin and votes one for five stock split|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|location=Newark, NJ|author=Debra Dowling|date=June 28, 1995|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1224CD8F2ACACDB0&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> Griffin hoped the new name would emphasize his connection to show business, as the company sought to expand into television and live entertainment.<ref name=dowling /><ref>{{cite news|title=New Resorts president ready for expansion|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Daniel Heneghan|date=May 7, 1995|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEAB784B2D5300&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> Griffin Gaming announced plans in March 1996 to build a new casino hotel next to Resorts.<ref>{{cite news|title=Griffin sets plan to double Resorts|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=William Ehart|date=March 29, 1996|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEAC1E3854FCF7&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
In December 1996, Sun International purchased the company for $293 million in stock and assumed debt.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sun (Int'l) takes over Resorts with a splash|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Joe Weinert|date=December 17, 1996|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEACA92D5359BE&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> Sun hoped the acquisition would gain it quick access to the burgeoning Atlantic City casino market, and that Griffin's land holdings would provide a foundation for Sun's previously announced plan to build an $800-million casino on the Boardwalk.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sun Hotels purchases Resorts in a deal valued at $301 million|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Joe Weinert|date=August 20, 1996|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAEAC686FADD8BE&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> The Griffin corporate entity became '''Sun International North America''', and Sun's interests in the Mohegan Sun casino were folded into it.<ref>{{cite report|title=Form 10-K405: Annual Report|publisher=Sun International North America|date=March 31, 1998|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/83394/0000083394-98-000001.txt|at=Part I, Item 1: Business}}</ref>
Colony Capital, which had purchased Resorts Atlantic City in 2001,<ref>{{cite news|title=Colony Capital owns Resorts|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Joe Weinert|date=April 26, 2001|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EBE57EE2EA8CFCE&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> revived the Resorts International name in 2005, forming an affiliate company named Resorts International Holdings.<ref>{{cite news|title=Company creates casino division, names COO|newspaper=Las Vegas Sun|date=July 11, 2005|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2005/jul/11/company-creates-casino-division-names-coo/|accessdate=2017-01-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Wall Street predicts problems at Hilton parent|newspaper=The Press of Atlantic City|author=Donald Wittkowski|date=February 14, 2006|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F10FCB2385518BDD8&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> The Resorts brand would be attached to two of the company's other casinos, Resorts Tunica and Resorts East Chicago.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grand likely to be renamed Harrah's|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, TN|author=Oliver Staley|date=June 15, 2005|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F10AC20143A04881D&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Few changes as Resorts takes over at E.C. casino|newspaper=Post-Tribune|location=Merrillville, IN|author=Michelle L. Quinn|date=April 27, 2005|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F109E3E43EB613426&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
==Intertel== '''International Intelligence Inc.''', commonly known as '''Intertel''', was a private security, intelligence and covert action firm majority-owned by Resorts International.<ref>{{cite news|title=The big players on the Boardwalk|newspaper=New York Times|date=February 5, 1978|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/05/archives/the-big-players-on-the-boardwalk-4-the-big-payoff-from-slot.html|accessdate=2017-01-02}}</ref> Resorts financed the establishment of Intertel in 1970, as an outgrowth of Crosby's efforts to keep the company's Bahamas casino free of organized crime influence.<ref name=owens /><ref>{{cite report|title=In the matter of the application of Resorts International Hotel, Inc. for a casino license|publisher=New Jersey Office of Administrative Law|page=261|url=http://njlegallib.rutgers.edu/njar/v10/p0244.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024191911/http://njlegallib.rutgers.edu/njar/v10/p0244.pdf|archivedate=2020-10-24}}</ref><ref name=sutton>{{cite news|title=Private eyes aiding tourism|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|author=Horace Sutton|date=October 3, 1971|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-private-eyes-aiding-tour/154392215/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Intertel was responsible for security at Resorts properties, and offered its services to other hotels and large corporations.<ref name=sutton /> Its other high-profile work included providing security for Howard Hughes,<ref>{{cite news|title=Peloquin of Intertel: Intelligence, security, 'targets of opportunity'|newspaper=Washington Post|author=Tom Zito|date=February 20, 1977|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/02/20/peloquin-of-intertel-intelligence-security-targets-of-opportunity/61c94b66-1bc7-4a7a-948a-fc9e33afb79b/|accessdate=2017-01-02}}</ref> investigating the Chicago Tylenol murders and the Bhopal disaster,<ref>{{cite news|title=Police in Philadelphia Wednesday called the death of a...|newspaper=UPI|author=Sharon Rutenberg|date=October 6, 1982|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/10/06/Police-in-Philadelphia-Wednesday-called-the-death-of-a/2224402724800/|accessdate=2017-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Intertel's eye is international|newspaper=USA Today|author=Kevin Maney|date=June 27, 1989|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0ED02BE4597B724A&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> and arranging safe passage to the Bahamas for the Shah of Iran and deposed Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza.<ref>{{cite news|title=The man who 'is Resorts'|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|author=George Anastasia|date=June 16, 1985|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB2998F2EE7BB43&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
Category:Gambling companies of the United States Category:Hospitality companies of the United States Category:Defunct gambling companies Category:Gambling companies established in 1958 Category:Gambling companies disestablished in 1996 Category:1958 establishments in New Jersey Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1989 Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1993