Atlantic City casinos remain closed following Hurricane Sandy
All 12 casinos have been closed since Sunday " some have taken extensive damage.
Atlantic City’s 12 casinos have been closed since Sunday due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy which has devastated much of the East Coast of the United States.
The storm has damaged some of the casinos and almost all of Atlantic City’s 40,000 residents have left following New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s mandatory evacuation order, while large sections of the famous boardwalk have been washed away and some casino roofs have been torn off.
Caesars Entertainment spokesman Gary Thompson told Reuters that “significant” damage had occurred to the upper floors of some of the casinos, but was hopeful they could reopen later this week and once the evacuation order was lifted: “We do have extensive damage to the roofs of some of the properties. It is possible that hotels will reopen Thursday night and the casinos Friday morning. But those are very rough estimates.”
Caesars owns four Atlantic City properties outright and also co-owns the Trump Plaza with Trump Entertainment Resorts.
The closures are another blow to New Jersey’s gaming industry which has seen declining revenues this year.
In August 2011, Atlantic City casinos were also forced to close due to the threat posed by Hurricane Irene.