Morning Headlines: Atlantic Club Shut Its Doors, Now Eleven Casinos Remain
Shot of Atlantic City casinos from 2009 by Brian G. Wilson
Well, it’s official. Atlantic City now has eleven casinos remaining. We knew it was coming since last December, but the closing of the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel earlier this morning (just a minute past midnight) has undoubtedly left a sad mark on former employees and visitors.
Wayne Parry of the Associated Press describes one of the Atlantic Club’s final scenes:
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.
Opening its doors in 1980, the once popular venue even attracted the likes of Frank Sinatra. A little over three decades later, the longstanding A.C. casino filed for bankruptcy in November of last year.
Could neighboring competition from both New York and Pennsylvania be one of the reasons for New Jersey’s declining casino clientele?
In the mean time, headlines elsewhere…
• Artsy bike racks coming to Center City in summer [PlanPhilly]
• Historic Old City building in receivership [Philadelphia Business Journal]
• “Promise Zone” designation brings hope in West Phila. [The Inquirer]
• Mormon Temple Rising From the Ground [Naked Philly]
