A New Jersey casino has announced that it plans to give away money to local gamblers, prior to shutting for the last time.

The Sands Casino hotel in Atlantic City, which is due to cease business on Saturday evening, will give away over $200,000 to casino regulars the night before.

But the event is not purely philanthropic – regulations require the casino to award jackpots from all its slot machines before closing up, with several slots still to do so.

The giveaway will involve a computer randomly selecting eight winners, with each finding themselves up to $25,000 richer.

The Sands will be the first casino hotel in Atlantic City to be demolished and replaced as part of the area’s numerous new regeneration projects. A $1.5 billion resort is scheduled to be built on the ground vacated by the current casino.

In its heyday in the mid-1980s the establishment was frequented by a host of stars, including Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack.

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