Revel Bidder: University Next to Casino Tower Would Have Students Who Are ‘Free, White and Over 21’

Photo | Dan McQuade

When Glenn Straub unexpectedly announced his plans to bid $90 million for Revel, we didn’t know much about him. But the Florida developer reveals something new every time he talks to the press about his plans for the $2.4 billion failed casino on the ocean.

Speaking to Reuters about his plans for a university “for geniuses” at the casino site, Straub said he planned to fund the initiative with a 2 percent wage garnish of anyone who’s hired away by a corporation. He also revealed the ideal student for his venture: “Free, white and over 21.” Reuters helpfully points out he was “using a politically incorrect way to describe someone with no financial obligations.” (It’s an archaic idiom that dates to at least the ’30s that means you’re beholden to no one. Still not the expression I’d choose!)

“We want people who will cure the world of its hiccups,” he also told Reuters.

This news comes in the wake of Straub telling the Inquirer that if his plans for Revel failed, he’d demolish the building like he did the Miami Arena. Straub later broke the news of his university plan to the Press of Atlantic City and explained his University “for geniuses” would help solve problems like nuclear waste disposal.

Meanwhile, the LLC that owns the Revel brand will terminate its license agreement with the property. “Revel Group remains hopeful the Revel developed property will ultimately be reopened with a stable ownership and a strong operations team,” Revel Group LLC wrote in a press release. “The company looks forward to the continued development of the Revel brand as well as the growth of the company’s collection of other lifestyle brands.”

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