Former Sands Casino Hotel
Today, all that remains of the Sands is more than 100,000 tons of rubble from the casino and the 21-story hotel tower, which is scheduled to be removed in 5,000 truckloads for recycling into road construction material. More than 700 guests of Pinnacle attended the implosion, including Gov. Jon S. Corzine, other prominent state and local public officials, members of the New Jersey and Atlantic City business, labor and civic communities, and members of the company’s corporate family. Thousands of members of the public witnessed the implosion from the Atlantic City beach and Boardwalk, with hundreds of other spectators watching from the roofs and windows of nearby resorts. The event, planned with great attention to every detail, began at 9:15 p.m. when Ms. Townsend introduced the governor and Mr. Lee for brief remarks. At 9:30 p.m., Fireworks by Grucci, the top name in fireworks entertainment, set the stage with a six-minute, state-of-the-art fireworks show, the largest rooftop fireworks display ever in New Jersey. The countdown began following the fireworks, concluding as Mr. Lee and Gov. Corzine jointly pressed a plunger for the 17-second implosion. 
The Sands, which opened in 1980 as the Brighton Casino Hotel, was among the smallest of the city’s casino hotels – and was acquired by Pinnacle in November 2006. (Sands gambling chips worth $61.2 million were pulverized into tiny pellets only slightly larger than dust in May).