The billionaire American property developer who once controlled Atlantic City’s Ocean Resort Casino, Bruce Deifik (pictured), reportedly died on Sunday evening after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest while driving home alone from a baseball game in Denver.

Struck down while driving:

According to a Monday report from the Associated Press news service published by The Denver Post newspaper, 64-year-old Deifik experienced the fatal medical episode subsequent to watching the Colorado Rockies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Emergency crews found the Colorado native in an unconscious state shortly after his vehicle had left the road at low speed and struck a light post in downtown Denver.

Despite subsequent efforts to revive him, the Denver-born businessman was later pronounced dead at nearby Saint Joseph Hospital with the local medical examiner said to conducting an investigation into the incident.

Ambitious aims:

A past President for real estate development firm, The Greenspun Corporation, Deifik paid approximately $229 million to purchase the then-shuttered Revel Hotel Casino sight unseen in January of 2018 before reopening the 1,399-room property some six months later as Ocean Resort Casino. However, the New Jersey venue was unable to capture a significant share of Atlantic City’s nine-casino market and eventually began running up debts that currently amount to around $22.7 million.

Sale continuing:

This state of affairs reportedly led Deifik via his AC Ocean Walk enterprise to agree a deal in February that is to see New York City-headquartered Luxor Capital Group take over majority control of the struggling casino property. This arrangement is purportedly expected to be completed soon to leave the now-deceased businessman’s estate with a minority stake in the giant Atlantic City property.

The newspaper reported that a trustee is now overseeing all operations at Ocean Resort Casino until this transaction is completed while a spokesperson for the venue, Diane Spiers, declared that she was ‘saddened’ to learn of Deifik’s passing.

Spiers commented…

“The Ocean family is grateful for Bruce having the vision to reopen this beautiful oceanfront property and employing over 3,000 members of our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”