Storm deals most casinos a losing hand

Nothing shuts down Atlantic City's casinos - not even a major snowstorm. But the mounds of snow that fell on the Atlantic City Expressway certainly managed to keep many a gambler away.

"You could see a decrease in normal traffic, given the fact we had 10 inches of snow on the expressway, which is highly unusual," said Sam Donelson, director of engineering and operations for the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which owns and operates the 47-mile highway.

Six of 11 casinos reported fewer customers. Resorts canceled a majority of its bus trips because of the weather, spokesman Brian Cahill said.

Mondays in the winter aren't the busiest times for the 365-days-a-year operations, but the storm's impact was felt nonetheless.

"We have adjusted restaurant schedules due to customer-volume decrease and demand," said Alyce Parker, spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns Bally's, Caesars, Harrah's Resort, and Showboat.

But at least one casino-hotel, the Tropicana, saw an uptick in occupancy when many Sunday customers found themselves unable to go home as the snow blew in.