Casinos go dark in Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The dice stopped rolling, dealers quit shuffling and slot machines fell silent Wednesday as New Jersey's casinos closed for the first time, the latest victims of a five-day state government shutdown that showed no signs of ending soon.

In the first mass closure in the 28-year history of Atlantic City's legalized gambling trade, all 12 casinos went dark. With no state budget, New Jersey cannot pay its state employees, including casino inspectors who keep tabs on the money.

Edwin Barahona, 28, a waiter at the Toga Bar at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino, was standing around with no one to serve drinks to. "Yesterday, it was big business," he said, referring to the Fourth of July holiday. "Today, it's no business."

The shutdown could cost the 12 casinos more than $16 million that they would normally collect from gamblers each day, not to mention the $1.3 million in taxes taken in by the state.

The shutdown left boardwalk casinos eerily quiet. Once all the gamblers were out, there was no ringing of slot machine bells, no clinking of coins in their hoppers, no craps players calling out for luck as they rolled the dice.

The casino-hotels' lobbies were conspicuously empty, too, as buses picked up gamblers to return them home but did not drop off new ones.

While gambling ceased, the buildings — which also have restaurants, showrooms, stores and meeting space — stayed open. But many gamblers headed for the exits rather than stay around.

"I came down here to have fun, and this is hampering my fun," said Janice Sidwa, 60, of Williamstown, N.J. "Now we're trying to figure out what we're going to do all day. What else do you do down here?"

The closures forced an estimated 20,000 people off their jobs as dealers, pit bosses and cocktail servers.

"There's no moral right to put these people out of work," said Bob McDevitt, president of Unite Here Local 54, which represents about 16,000 casino and hotel workers. McDevitt chastised lawmakers in Trenton for the budget stalemate that was costing his members their wages and tips.

The problem started when the Legislature became locked in a battle with Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine over his proposed sales tax increase. Lawmakers missed a July 1 deadline to pass a budget.

Without a spending plan, Corzine ordered state offices shut down Saturday and all nonessential state government operations closed. He laid off more than half the state's employees. Only about 36,000 people in vital roles such as child welfare, state police and mental hospitals remained on the job, and they were working without pay.

Horse racing tracks did not open for business Wednesday, and state parks and beaches also were closed because of lack of staff.

In Jersey City, Felix Morales showed up at the gate of Liberty State Park with his family to go fishing, but was turned away.

"Why should the citizens pay for something that the government should have fixed before it got to this point?" he said. "It should never have gone this far."

Corzine wants to raise the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent to close a $4.5 billion state budget gap. Democrats who control the state Assembly oppose the tax increase, estimated to cost the average New Jersey family $275 per year.

"It is deplorable that the people of this state are left in such a painful position," Corzine told lawmakers Wednesday. "The people of New Jersey have every right to be angry."

Material from The Philadelphia Inquirer is included in this report