Atlantic City is officially down to seven casinos following Monday’s closure of the Trump Taj Mahal.
The Taj Mahal officially closed its doors at 6am on Monday, following a weekend of staggered shutdowns of its various entertainment offerings. The property is the fifth AC casino to close since four venues closed in 2014. Monday’s closure spells the end of over 2,800 local jobs, bringing the total casino job loss since 2014 to over 11k.
The Taj Mahal closed after two years of squabbling between the property’s last owner, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, and its unionized employees, who couldn’t come to an agreement that would have allowed the struggling property to continue operating.
The Taj Mahal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2014, after which Icahn assumed ownership of the property. But Unite Here Local 54 refused to accept a court ruling that allowed Icahn to scrap the unionized employees’ pension and health benefits.