ATLANTIC CITY — Richard Stockton College may buy one of the now shuttered Atlantic City casinos, according to a published report.

The Press of Atlantic City reports that Mayor Don Guardian said Wednesday at an economic forum that Stockton is interested in purchasing the former Atlantic Club or the Showboat.

"They were looking for a new campus for 10,000 students, and we were able to convince them that Atlantic City is the location," Guardian said at the forum, according to the newspaper.

A Stockton representative confirmed to the Press of Atlantic City that the college is interested but said, "There is nothing firm" at this point.

Stockton has 8,570 full - and - part-time undergraduate and graduate students, according to its website. Stockton is located in Galloway Township in Atlantic County, about 13 miles from Atlantic City.

The added campus would give Stockton just under 20,000 students, making it one of the larger state school aside from Rutgers University.

Four casinos in Atlantic City have closed this year. A Florida-based bidder of the Revel Casino Hotel previously said he wanted to open up a university next to the now shuttered casino, although he did not name a specific school. The bidder, however, came up short in the auction held earlier this month.

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