Hurricane shuts A.C. casinos
It's only the third shutdown there in 33 years. The weekend is "a complete wash," one CEO said.
ATLANTIC CITY - For only the third time in gambling's 33-year history here, the casino industry shut its doors Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.
By 8 on Friday night, Caesars Entertainment Inc., which owns four gambling venues; Trump Entertainment, which owns two; Resorts, Tropicana, ACH, and the Golden Nugget closed their hotels and casinos for the weekend.
The Borgata, which closed at 6 p.m., asked all patrons to leave Friday afternoon and said it was not taking new reservations through Sunday.
George Sanducci, 42, an electrician from Seacaucus, N.J., was getting ready to head home after an abbreviated visit to the roulette tables at Trump Plaza.
"They said they couldn't take my reservation for the night," he said just after 4:30 p.m. "But I'm going to wait a little while longer."
Casino executives met with state and county officials at 2 p.m., to coordinate plans.
The casinos will use only minimal staffing during the hurricane. As with previous storms, executives said, sandbags and window coverings are being used to try to protect buildings exposed to the ocean.
Trump Entertainment said all employees at the Trump Taj Mahal and Trump Plaza were told not to report to work after 4 p.m. Friday. The company established a hotline, 609-449-6199, for employees to get updates.
All Trump hotel guests were contacted Friday with a phone call to their rooms to leave the property as soon as possible, and guests on the casino floor also were asked to leave. Trump Entertainment said it contacted guests who had planned to visit this weekend to inform them that the property would be closed.
Gov. Christie said his office, the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, and the Casino Association of New Jersey were working closely together to ensure security, surveillance, and maintenance operations.
The casinos here had closed only twice since the first gambling hall, Resorts, opened in 1978 - once for Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and again for a state government shutdown in July 2006.
"This weekend is gone, as far as business," Resorts CEO Dennis Gomes said. "We had a lot of shows, and all the hotels were booked solid for the weekend. Now, it's a complete wash."
Gomes estimated the lost weekend could cost Resorts $4 million.
The casinos' three-day shutdown during 2006's state budget impasse cost them $50 million to $55 million in lost business.
This hit will come on top of what has already been a disappointing summer. Casino revenues were down in June and July from a year ago because of continuing pressure from Pennsylvania casinos and the sputtering economy.