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Trump Plaza owners confirm plan to close in September

Wallace McKelvey
July 12, 2014
The Press of Atlantic City
 

One in four people employed by Atlantic City’s faltering casino industry could lose their jobs by this fall as the owners of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino confirmed Saturday that it could join three other properties in closing if a buyer is not found.

Experts say the impact of losing an estimated 7,800 jobs since the January closing of the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel would ripple across the region and hurt the resort’s marketing efforts in an already stagnant economy.

“Can you imagine trying to sell the Boardwalk as a destination when every third or fourth 70- or 80-story high-rise is vacant?” asked Deborah Figart, a Richard Stockton College economics professor who has extensively researched the local casino industry. “I’m so afraid of blight returning to Atlantic City.”

Trump Entertainment Resorts told The Associated Press that while a final decision about Trump Plaza hasn’t been made, it expects the casino to close Sept. 16. Notices warning more than 1,000 employees will go out Monday.

Read the full article online here.