Victim of casino glut, NJ's Atlantic Club closes (xpost from Economy)

[unhappycamper]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/01/12/2990884/victim-of-casino-glut-njs-atlantic.html



This Nov. 14, 2013 file photo shows the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in Atlantic City N.J. The Atlantic Club will shut down on Jan. 13, 2014.

Victim of casino glut, NJ's Atlantic Club closes
By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press
January 12, 2014 Updated 10 minutes ago

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey's Atlantic Club Casino Hotel shut down early Monday morning, the victim of a glut of casinos in the northeastern U.S.

Once Atlantic City's top-earning casino, where then-owner Steve Wynn clowned with Frank Sinatra in commercials, bringing the legendary singer an armful of fresh towels, the Atlantic Club went out with a whimper. In the hours before the 12:01 a.m. closing, its restaurants and bars had all shut down, and many gamblers and employees had already left.

The few die-hards that stayed on the casino floor until the end counted down its final five seconds as dealers who were suddenly unemployed burst into tears and hugged each other. Within moments, casino staff began stacking and counting chips and preparing to remove cash boxes from the casino floor.

"Where was our support?" asked Kathy Buonasorte, a cocktail server for 28 of the casino's 33 years. "They all left us. No politician helped us. No one came to save us."