May 23--ATLANTIC CITY -- The formal opening Thursday of the Margaritaville and LandShark Bar & Grill at Resorts Casino Hotel was proclaimed by Gov. Chris Christie as "more evidence that the Shore is open for business and stronger than ever this summer."

Christie has spent most recent days attending boardwalk reopenings in areas impacted hard by superstorm Sandy.

Atlantic City avoided the worst of the storm but is still fighting to recover from a slump at its casinos and tourism business that began more than five years ago.

The Jimmy Buffett-branded Margaritaville is seen as giving Resorts a chance to rebound after a miserable 2012, when the property endured a more than 30 percent drop in operating profits.

The $35 million expansion -- which includes a nearly $13 million contribution by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority -- has a 160-machine slot parlor and a year-round beach bar, coffee shop, gift store and restaurant.

Resorts' principal owner Morris Bailey said the property "is an Atlantic City icon with a rich history and great future."

Resorts was the first legal casino in New Jersey when it began operating in 1978.

"Margaritaville is a perfect example of that future," Bailey said. "It broadens our casino hotel's appeal and gives travelers a new reason to visit Atlantic City."

Since launching its first location in Key West, Fla., in 1987, Margaritaville has expanded to 25 U.S. and international destinations. Margaritaville Hospitality Group is based in Orlando, Fla., and employs more than 2,500 people.

The new restaurant and other boardwalk attractions under development are being counted on to keep the city vibrant with the state about to make a big bet on Internet gambling.

In February Christie signed legislation legalizing Internet gambling in New Jersey. Regulations are scheduled to be published next week and the first virtual casinos are likely to begin operating by the of the year. His administration expects it to generate about $200 million of revenue next year.

The state's chief gaming regulator, Matthew B. Levinson, said Internet betting "is an extra for Atlantic City. I don't see it as anything that will take anything away from the bricks-and-mortar operations."

Levinson, chairman of the Casino Control Commission, attended the Margaritaville ribbon-cutting event where Christie was thanked for coming by being presented a pair of bronzed Margaritaville Flip Flops.

A company official told Christie the present was his "license to chill."

"I don't know what to say," said Christie, drawing laughs.

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